The FBI is leading the probe after 18-year-old Anna Kepner was found dead aboard the Carnival Horizon.
ORLANDO, Fla. — A family court filing in Florida says a criminal case may be brought against one of the step-siblings who traveled with 18-year-old Anna Kepner, the Titusville high school senior found dead earlier this month on the Carnival Horizon cruise ship, prompting a focused FBI investigation spanning the ship and ports in South Florida.
The development, disclosed in a Brevard County divorce and custody case, marks the first on-record indication that federal agents are examining a member of Kepner’s blended family in connection with her death. The filing, submitted Monday by the stepmother’s attorney, cites discussions with FBI investigators and warns that a minor in the household could face prosecution. Authorities have not announced any charges, and the cause and manner of death remain undetermined. The FBI assumed jurisdiction because the incident occurred in international waters while the ship sailed a Caribbean itinerary.
Family members reported Kepner unwell the night before she vanished from group activities during the voyage, according to relatives. Her body was discovered in her stateroom the next day by a crew member who had gone to clean the cabin while the ship was at sea. A security source familiar with the review said she was found under a bed and wrapped in bedding, with life jackets stacked on top. Investigators secured the room, pulled access-control records for keycards, and began collecting surveillance video showing who entered the passageways and cabin area before the discovery. “We want answers and accountability,” her father, Christopher Kepner, said in an interview, adding that agents questioned family members after the ship later docked in Miami.
Officials have released few specifics, citing the open case. The Miami field office is coordinating with ship security, the cruise line, and the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner’s Office on forensic testing and timelines. Records identify the traveler as a Temple Christian School senior from Titusville who was on the voyage with her father, stepmother, and three step-siblings. The stepmother, Shauntel Hudson, told a judge in the separate family case that she could not provide sworn testimony about unrelated issues because of the ongoing federal probe and potential criminal exposure for one of her minor children. The filing does not name the child, and law enforcement has not released any suspect’s name or age. It remains unknown what occurred in the cabin during the hours before the body was found or exactly when Kepner died.
In recent days, the case has drawn intense public interest across Brevard and South Florida. Carnival staff provided investigators with digital copies of the ship’s closed-circuit video from corridors and elevator banks near the staterooms, along with time-stamped door logs that record when guest keycards are used. Agents are examining whether footage shows Kepner walking with any family member or other passenger prior to her disappearance, and whether anyone returned alone. Detectives have also interviewed housekeeping staff about the condition of the room and items that appeared out of place when the door was first opened for cleaning. Authorities have not said if any weapon, drugs, or alcohol were recovered. Toxicology and other lab tests are pending, which can take weeks.
Deaths at sea fall under a patchwork of laws that turn on location and the ship’s registry. Because the Carnival Horizon was sailing in international waters when Kepner was found, federal authorities have primary jurisdiction, often working with the flag state and local medical examiners once in port. Cruise ships maintain extensive video coverage and electronic access records that can help build timelines. Prior cases have taken months to resolve while investigators reconcile shipboard logs with passenger statements and lab results. Kepner, described by teachers and classmates as a bubbly varsity cheerleader with plans to join the military after graduation, had been looking forward to senior-year milestones at the private school she attended in Titusville. The school said it would offer counseling and planned a remembrance during upcoming activities.
The legal filing that surfaced this week was stamped in Brevard County on Monday and references communications with FBI personnel. It asks the court to pause testimony in the divorce and custody matter, noting that any sworn answers could risk self-incrimination for a minor in the household. Hearings in that case could set schedules for future testimony once the federal criminal investigation clarifies the minor’s status. Separately, federal agents are expected to brief the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Miami once lab work returns and evidence reviews are complete, a standard step to determine whether probable cause exists for an arrest or charges under federal statutes covering violent crime at sea.
Outside the courthouse and on Florida’s Space Coast, friends and neighbors have gathered to remember Kepner. A classmate described her as “pure energy who never stopped encouraging people,” while a neighbor said the family was “trying to hold on to each other” as the investigation unfolds. Shipboard passengers from the same sailing recalled repeated announcements asking a specific guest to contact security, a common procedure when crews attempt to locate someone reported missing or needed for questioning. A memorial service is being planned in the Titusville area, according to relatives who said they are still waiting for the medical examiner’s findings to understand what happened on board.
As of Wednesday afternoon, no arrests had been announced. Investigators continue reviewing cabin access logs and surveillance clips and are awaiting toxicology results. The next expected milestone is the completion of the medical examiner’s report and any subsequent decision by federal prosecutors on whether to file charges, which could come after the Thanksgiving holiday period.
Author note: Last updated November 19, 2025.