Newly released court documents show the Kepner family took immediate steps to control information after 18-year-old Anna Kepner was found dead aboard the Carnival Horizon. The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner ruled the cause of death mechanical asphyxia, but no suspect has been publicly identified and no charges have been filed. Text-message exhibits describe efforts to limit social media exposure and protect the identity of a 16-year-old relative who is under investigation but has not been charged. The FBI and medical examiner have not released full findings, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Court Records Show Family Tried to Limit Information After 18-Year-Old Anna Kepner Found Dead Aboard Carnival Cruise
Texts after Anna Kepner’s mysterious cruise ship death show family scrambling to clamp down on info
Newly released court documents and text-message exhibits offer a clearer picture of how members of the Kepner family responded after 18-year-old Anna Kepner was found dead aboard the Carnival Horizon.
Timeline and Official Status
According to public records, Anna Kepner was discovered in her cabin on Nov. 7. The Carnival Horizon returned to PortMiami two days later, and federal agents boarded the ship to begin collecting evidence. The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner has ruled the cause of death as mechanical asphyxia, meaning deprivation of oxygen. Authorities have not publicly identified a suspect, and no criminal charges have been filed more than six weeks after her death. The FBI has not released additional details, and the medical examiner’s full autopsy and toxicology findings have not been made public.
Family Texts and Court Exhibits
Court filings obtained by Fox 35 Orlando include text-message exchanges that began roughly a day after Anna’s body was discovered. The messages—submitted as exhibits in an ongoing family court matter—primarily focus on limiting social media exposure, protecting the identity of a 16-year-old relative, and managing what the family described as an emergency.
Exchanges between Anna’s stepmother, Shauntel Kepner, and her ex-husband, Thomas Hudson, show repeated concerns about posts circulating online and an emphasis that the 16-year-old’s name not be released because he is a minor. The records state the teenager is being investigated in connection with Anna’s death but has not been charged.
Details From Messages and Court Hearings
In a message sent around 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 8, Shauntel urged Hudson to call immediately and described the situation as an emergency. She later said their daughter had been told only that her brother was struggling emotionally and was being evaluated at a hospital. Shauntel reported brief contact with the teen on Nov. 9, saying he repeatedly told her he could not remember events and that a nurse allowed a short call so she could reassure him that his parents loved him.
(L-R) Chris Kepner, Shauntel Kepner, and Jeffrey Kepner arrive to court in Melbourne, Florida, Friday, December 5, 2025. The trio are headed to an emergency custody hearing in an ongoing dispute between Shauntel and her ex-husband, Thomas Hudson.
At a Dec. 5 family court hearing, Shauntel’s attorney said the teen’s father agreed the boy would live with a relative after his release from the hospital, a step the attorney described as intended to eliminate any potential risk to other children in the household. Shauntel also testified that the teen takes medication for ADHD and insomnia and had not taken his insomnia medication for two nights during the cruise, including the night before Anna’s body was discovered.
Court records indicate Anna’s body was found under a bed in the cabin she shared with two siblings, one of whom is the 16-year-old stepbrother now under investigation.
Reactions and Observations
"The exchanges appeared focused on controlling public perception rather than addressing the loss of an 18-year-old,"
said Jamie Copenhaver, a former sheriff’s detective who reviewed the messages for Fox 35 Orlando. He described the tone as resembling "damage control" and said it suggested the family might know more than has been publicly disclosed. The court exhibits also include repeated messages of emotional support from parents to the teen, stressing that he was not alone and that the family stood by him.
About Anna Kepner
Anna Kepner, of Titusville, Florida, was a senior at Temple Christian School preparing to graduate in spring 2026 and had hoped to enlist in the U.S. Navy, her family said.
The investigation remains active. Fox News Digital’s Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.
