On the morning of November 7, 2025, as the Carnival Horizon sailed through international waters between Mexico and Florida, housekeeping staff made a gruesome discovery in cabin 3472. Eighteen-year-old Anna Kepner, a vibrant high school senior and cheerleader from Titusville, Florida, was found dead, stuffed under a bed, wrapped in a blanket and concealed beneath life jackets. Law enforcement sources confirmed to ABC News that she had been strangled. The prime suspect: her 16-year-old stepbrother, one of the children her father had welcomed into their home as part of a new blended family.
What was intended as a six-day Caribbean cruise to heal old wounds and celebrate togetherness instead became the stage for an unspeakable tragedy. The case has shocked America, exposing the raw underbelly of modern blended families, years of bitter custody disputes, allegations of abuse, and a teenage girl who felt increasingly like an outsider in her own home.
Who Was Anna Kepner?
Anna Marie Kepner was born on June 18, 2007, and grew up in the quiet space-coast town of Titusville, Florida, just minutes from the Kennedy Space Center. Described by friends as bright, athletic, and kind-hearted, she maintained a high GPA, was a dedicated member of her high school cheer squad, and dreamed of attending college. Classmates remember her infectious smile and relentless positivity, even as her family life grew increasingly complicated.
Her parents’ marriage collapsed in 2023. Anna’s father, Christopher Kepner, 41, a crane operator, and his wife Tabitha Kepner, 33 (who had raised Anna since infancy and considered her her own daughter), filed for divorce in Brevard County that April. Tabitha cited an “irretrievably broken” marriage and alleged a history of domestic violence by Christopher toward her and the children. Christopher denied the claims. After contentious proceedings, they agreed to shared custody of their two biological children together—a 14-year-old boy and a 9-year-old girl—while Anna, as Christopher’s daughter from a previous relationship, primarily lived with him.
Less than a year after the divorce, Christopher began dating Shauntel Hudson, 36, a mother of three who was herself finalizing a bitter separation from her ex-husband Thomas Hudson, 37. Shauntel’s children included Andrew (then 17, now 18), the 16-year-old boy now suspected in Anna’s death, and a 9-year-old daughter. In 2024, a judge granted Shauntel permission to relocate with her younger two children into Christopher’s three-bedroom home in Titusville, instantly creating a household of eight.
A Blended Family on the Brink
The merger was turbulent from the start. Court records obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com paint a picture of deep resentment, particularly from Shauntel’s eldest son, Andrew. In April 2024, while Shauntel was driving her children from Brooksville to Titusville to begin their new life, Andrew, furious at being forced to leave his girlfriend and friends behind, attempted to jump out of the moving vehicle on the highway. Shauntel physically restrained him as the car traveled at 60 mph. Andrew’s biological father, Thomas Hudson, later filed for a domestic-violence injunction, accusing Shauntel of assaulting the teen during the incident. The petition was denied, but Andrew refused to live in the new home and returned to his father, cutting off most contact with his mother.
The younger two children—Shauntel’s 16-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter—moved in. Former friends and Anna’s ex-boyfriend, Josh Tew, told reporters that Anna struggled immensely with the new arrangement. “She hated having them in the house,” Josh said. “She told me Shauntel was controlling and always angry. Anna would sleep in the dining room or at friends’ houses just to avoid being there.”
Even more disturbing, Josh recounted a FaceTime call nine months before the cruise in which he allegedly witnessed the 16-year-old stepbrother climbing on top of Anna in a threatening manner. When she pushed him off, the boy reportedly warned, “If you tell anyone, I’ll do something to you.” Terrified, Anna kept the incident to herself.
The Fateful Cruise
In early November 2025, Christopher Kepner organized a family cruise aboard the Carnival Horizon, hoping the vacation would bring everyone closer. The party of eight included Christopher, Shauntel, Anna, Christopher’s two younger biological children (14 and 9), Shauntel’s two younger children (16 and 9), and Christopher’s parents, Barbara and Jeff Kepner. Andrew, now fully estranged from his mother, stayed behind.
Photos posted to social media during the trip showed smiling faces, sunsets, and buffet plates—classic cruise memories. But beneath the surface, tensions simmered. On the evening of November 6, Anna told family members she wasn’t feeling well and went to bed early in the triple cabin she shared with her 14-year-old half-brother and her 16-year-old stepbrother. The 14-year-old left to take photos around the ship, leaving Anna alone with the 16-year-old for an unknown period.
When the younger boy returned, he assumed Anna was out late with adults and went to sleep. The next morning, when Anna failed to appear for breakfast, the family grew concerned. The ship’s intercom announced a medical emergency. Christopher rushed to the cabin, where crew members had just discovered his daughter’s body crammed under one of the beds, concealed with blankets and life preservers.
Preliminary reports indicate Anna died from mechanical asphyxia consistent with a “bar arm” chokehold. The time of death was placed around 11:17 a.m. on November 7—while the ship was still in international waters.
Investigation and Arrest
When the Carnival Horizon docked in Miami on November 8, FBI agents and Bahamian authorities (acting under maritime jurisdiction agreements) boarded the vessel. The ship was held for hours as passengers were interviewed and the cabin processed for evidence.
Although officials have not publicly identified the suspect due to his age, court filings submitted last week by Shauntel Hudson’s attorney in an ongoing custody case confirm that her 16-year-old son is the focus of an active FBI homicide investigation. Thomas Hudson, the boy’s biological father, filed an emergency motion for custody of his 9-year-old daughter, explicitly stating that his son is the suspected killer in Anna Kepner’s death.
No charges have been formally announced as of November 30, 2025, but sources close to the investigation say the evidence against the teenager is substantial.
A Tragedy Foretold?
Tabitha Kepner, Anna’s former stepmother who still considered her a daughter, broke down in tears when speaking to DailyMail.com: “I warned everyone about Christopher’s history. I begged them to protect her.” Friends have launched GoFundMe pages and organized candlelight vigils in Titusville, remembering Anna as a light extinguished far too soon.
The case has ignited fierce debate about the hidden pressures inside blended families. According to the American Psychological Association, over 16 million American children live in step-families, and research shows elevated risks of conflict, depression, and in extreme cases, violence when integration is forced or poorly managed.
Anna Kepner’s story is a heartbreaking reminder that behind many smiling family photos lie untold struggles. What began as a dream vacation ended in a nightmare that has left two families shattered—and a nation grappling with how such a tragedy could unfold on a ship full of thousands of passengers.
As the FBI continues its investigation and the legal battles rage on, one thing remains painfully clear: Anna deserved better. She deserved safety, love, and the chance to grow into the extraordinary young woman everyone who knew her believed she would become.
