The Death of 18-Year-Old Anna Marie Kepner Aboard the Carnival Horizon: A Hidden Body, Family Conflict, and Unanswered Questions
Case Overview
Eighteen-year-old Anna Marie Kepner stepped onto the Carnival Horizon with her family for what was supposed to be a fun, memory-making cruise out of Miami, Florida.
She was a high school senior, a cheerleader, and a girl who talked about the Navy, K-9 work, and a future that stretched far beyond this one trip. Instead, by the time the ship was headed back toward Florida, Anna was gone—found hidden under a bed, wrapped in a blanket and covered with life vests in the cabin she shared with her teenage stepsibling(s).
The night before she was found, Anna told family she wasn’t feeling well and went back to the room. Sometime after that, according to what her younger brother later told her ex-boyfriend, there was yelling, banging, and the sound of furniture being thrown around inside that cabin. Her brother says he was blocked from going in by Anna’s 16-year-old stepbrother and heard him shouting at Anna.
The next morning, Anna didn’t show up.
When a housekeeper checked the stateroom, they found her body shoved under the bed. Not collapsed on the floor. Not lying on top of the sheets. Hidden. Covered. Out of sight.
The ship continued back toward Miami. The FBI took over the case once they were under U.S. jurisdiction. Court records now say a 16-year-old stepbrother is considered a suspect in Anna’s death. He is a minor, so his name is being withheld in many outlets, but filings in a related custody case talk about a possible criminal case against one of the children in the blended family.
While federal agents and medical examiners work in the background, Anna’s story is playing out in public in a very different way:
- A birth mother in Oklahoma says she found out her daughter was dead from a Google search.
- A step-grandfather says he learned from social media and can’t understand why Anna was sharing a cabin with a teenage stepsibling who is now a suspect.
- An ex-boyfriend says he witnessed disturbing behavior from that same stepbrother months before Anna ever stepped on the ship.
This is not just a headline about a “cheerleader found dead on cruise.” It is a case where a young woman’s body was discovered hidden in the room where she was supposed to be sleeping safely, surrounded by family.
And right now, the biggest pieces—how she died, who is responsible, and why—are still being kept out of public view.
Who Was Anna Marie Kepner?
Victim Information
Name: Anna Marie Kepner
Age: 18
Hometown: Titusville, Florida
Personality and Reputation
Before anything else, Anna was a person—not a case file. Friends and family describe her as:
“Bubbly,” “funny,” and a total goofball when she wanted to be.
Someone who didn’t have much of a filter and could make people laugh even on bad days.
A girl who lit up rooms, not crime scene reports.
She was also known as a straight-A / honor-roll type student, someone who was reliable, responsible, and always willing to help people around her.
Cheerleading and School
Cheer wasn’t a hobby for Anna—it was a huge part of her identity.
She spent time at:
- Titusville High School
- Astronaut High School
- Temple Christian School, where she was excited to graduate with the Class of 2026.
Teammates and family talk about her dedication on the mat and her love of “team family” just as much as her love for her actual family.
Plans and Dreams
Anna talked about joining the U.S. Navy after high school. Her long-term dream was to work as a K-9 officer, combining service, animals, and law enforcement.
She wasn’t drifting—she had a plan, a direction, and was taking steps toward it.
Where Her Head Was Before the Cruise
On TikTok, in the weeks leading up to the trip, a different side of Anna appears.
- Posts about heartbreak, cheating, and being hurt in a relationship.
- A long caption about being manipulated and lied to, but still choosing to keep a kind heart.
- Another post that says, “You deserve to be happy, but if it ain’t with me then nvm.”
Those posts don’t prove anything about how she died, but they are reminders that she was a teenager juggling real emotions, real relationships, and a lot more than just school and sports.
What We Know About the Cruise and Cabin
The Cruise
The trip that ended in tragedy began as a typical family vacation:
- Ship: Carnival Horizon
- Port: Miami, Florida
- Trip: 6-day Caribbean cruise
- Travel Group: Anna traveled with her father (Chris), stepmother (Shauntel), and a group of siblings and stepsiblings from their blended family.
This wasn’t a solo trip. Inside the family, it was presented as something fun—a getaway for all the kids.
The Cabin
The exact cabin lineup changes depending on which outlet you’re reading, but the overlapping points are clear:
- Anna was sharing a cabin with a 16-year-old stepbrother, and either:
- Another stepsibling, or
- Her younger biological brother (accounts differ).
What doesn’t change is this: she was not alone, and she was rooming with the teen boy who is now labeled a suspect in court filings.
How She Was Found
The discovery of Anna’s body is one of the most disturbing aspects of this case.
A cabin steward or housekeeper came to check the room when Anna wasn’t showing up. Inside, they found her:
- Under the bed
- Wrapped in a blanket
- Covered in life vests
It wasn’t just that she died. Someone took steps so her body wouldn’t be seen right away.
Warning Signs Before the Cruise
If the ex-boyfriend and his father are telling the truth, there were warning signs long before this cruise.
- A late-night FaceTime call months earlier where the stepbrother allegedly came into Anna’s room and climbed on top of her while she was lying down.
- Threats if she told anyone.
- A pattern of Anna wanting to sleep at friends’ houses because she felt uncomfortable in the blended home.
- On the ship, according to her younger brother’s account, the stepbrother allegedly blocked the door, and he heard yelling and what sounded like furniture being thrown around inside the cabin.
These details have not been confirmed publicly by law enforcement, but they are consistent across multiple interviews with the same witnesses and are now part of the wider picture of what might have been going on in Anna’s life.
What We Know From Investigators
This section focuses on information that comes from law enforcement, court records, and official agencies—not rumor.
FBI Involvement
The FBI is leading the investigation because:
- The death happened on a U.S. cruise ship,
- In international waters,
- During a voyage that started and ended in the United States.
The FBI has confirmed:
- There is an active investigation into the circumstances of Anna’s death.
- No cause of death or manner of death has been publicly released yet.
Medical Examiner
The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner has completed or is working on Anna’s autopsy. Publicly available information so far indicates:
- Cause of death: pending / not released
- Manner of death: pending / not released
No official report has been made public that labels this as homicide, accident, suicide, or anything else. That distinction matters, because speculation online is moving faster than official findings.
Custody Case and Suspect Language
In a related family-court custody case involving Anna’s stepmother, her attorney filed emergency documents asking to delay a hearing.
Those documents say:
- She has been advised by the FBI and her lawyers that a criminal case may be initiated against one of her minor children.
Other reporting based on those filings says:
- A 16-year-old stepbrother is being treated as a suspect in Anna’s death.
- That teen is now reportedly living with a third party, not at home.
There is no charging document in the public record and no name on an indictment. What exists instead is court paperwork that strongly suggests investigators believe one of the children on that cruise is connected to Anna’s death.
Unanswered Questions in Anna’s Case
There are major gaps in what the public knows about what happened to Anna. Some of the most pressing questions include:
- The actual cause of death
Was Anna strangled? Drugged? Injured in a fall? Did something else happen entirely?
Right now, the public doesn’t know. Her cause and manner of death are still officially “pending” in public reporting, and both her family and the wider community are being asked to wait without answers.
- The real, minute-by-minute timeline
There is no full breakdown of:
- What time Anna left family the night before.
- Exact times the younger brother tried to enter the cabin.
- When the alleged yelling and banging started and stopped.
- How long Anna might have been under that bed before she was discovered.
Right now, the public is relying on second-hand accounts, not ship security logs and key-card records. Those records likely exist; they just haven’t been released.
- Where exactly everyone slept
Different reports list:
- “Anna + stepbrother + another stepsibling,” versus
- “Anna + younger brother + stepbrother.”
This matters because it affects who was in the room, who may have been just feet away from her body without knowing, and who had access to the cabin key.
- Why some family members weren’t told directly
Two different relatives say they found out Anna was dead online:
- Her birth mother says she learned from a Google search.
- Her step-grandfather says he found out on social media.
This raises questions about who was listed as legal next of kin, whether authorities followed standard notification protocols, and whether any family members were intentionally left out of the loop.
- Whether earlier warnings were documented
If the FaceTime incident and other behavior were as serious as described, did anyone ever:
- Call police?
- Report concerns to child protection services?
- Inform a school counselor, mandated reporter, or other authority?
As of now, there is no public record showing that any of those steps were taken. That leaves a heavy “what if” hanging over this case: what if someone had taken those earlier warnings seriously?
- Motive
If this ultimately turns out to be a homicide, motive remains completely unknown. Possibilities raised in public discussion include jealousy, obsession and rejection, an argument that escalated too far, or something else entirely.
At this stage, motive is speculation only. There has been no official statement from investigators on why Anna might have been targeted, if she was.
Key Individuals and Relationships
The following overview helps map out who is connected to Anna and how they fit into the case.
Victim
Anna Marie Kepner (18)
Victim. High school senior and cheerleader from Titusville, Florida. Found dead in the cabin of the Carniva
l Horizon during a family cruise.
Immediate Family
Christopher “Chris” Kepner – Father
From Titusville, Florida. Anna’s primary custodial pa
rent in recent years. He was on the cruise with Anna and the children. He has not given in-depth media interviews and appears to be staying quiet publicly.
Shauntel Hudson / Shauntel Kepner – Stepmother
Chris’s partner or wife, and mother of the 16-year-old stepsibling. She was on the cruise with Anna and is also involved in a separate custody dispute with her ex-husband. Shauntel filed an emergency motion referencing the FBI investigation and potential charges against one of her children. She has reportedly invoked her Fifth Amendment right in legal proceedings related to questions about the case.
Heather Wright – Birth mother
Lives in Oklahoma. She says she found out Anna had died by Googling her name, not through an official phone call. Heather also claims she was told not to attend the funeral and considered going in disguise so she could say goodbye to her daughter.
Siblings and Stepsiblings
16-year-old stepbrother – Minor, named as a suspect in filings
A teen boy from Shauntel’s side of the blended family. He shared a cabin with Anna during the cruise and is officially described in court paperwork and media reporting as a suspect. He is currently said to be living with a third party, not at home. Allegations from others say he:
- Was “obsessed” with Anna,
- Wanted to date her,
- Carried a knife,
- Previously climbed on top of her while she was sleeping during a FaceTime call,
- Yelled at her on the cruise while the younger brother heard loud banging inside the room.
Younger biological brother
Anna’s younger brother was also on the cruise. He is said to have tried to enter the cabin and been blocked by the stepbrother. He claims he heard yelling and loud banging from inside. According to later accounts, he told the ex-boyfriend that the FBI instructed the family not to talk publicly about the case.
Other stepsibling(s)
Other children from the blended family were likely on the cruise as well. Media reports mention an additional stepsibling as part of the group, but details about who stayed where and how they were split between cabins are inconsistent.
Extended Family
Christopher Donahue – Step-grandfather
Described as Anna’s step-grandfather. He says he learned of her death from social media and has publicly questioned the decision to put Anna in a room with the teen stepsibling who is now treated as a suspect.
Friends and Ex-Boyfriend
Joshua “Josh” Tew – Ex-boyfriendDated Anna before the cruise. He claims he:
- Witnessed the FaceTime incident where the stepbrother tried to climb on top of Anna while she was lying down.
- Heard from Anna’s younger brother about the cruise-cabin disturbance and the stepbrother blocking the door.
- Contacted the FBI to report what he knew after learning about her death.
Steven Westin – Josh’s father
Steven says he tried to warn Anna’s father and stepmother about the stepbrother’s behavior. He describes the stepbrother as obsessed with Anna and always carrying a knife.
