Who is Anna Kepner? Florida teen, 18, found dead onboard Carnival cruise ship
Anna Kepner: How do cruise ship rules limit FBI at sea
Anna Kepner had plans for her life. The Titusville teen planned to join the U.S. Navy after graduation and go on to be a K9 police officer, according to her obituary on North Brevard Funeral Home's website. However, in her senior year of school, Anna died while on vacation in the Caribbean on a Carnival Horizon cruise. Her cause of death is unknown at this time. Anna died on Nov. 7. She was 18 years old. FOX 35's Esther Bower spoke with Jamie Barnett, the mother of Ashley Barnett, who died on a Carnival Cruise in 2006 and who started the International Cruise Victims' Organization to break down the details of how the FBI investigates cruise ship deaths, where her own daughter's case is still open with little to no official details being released nearly 20 years later.
TITUSVILLE, Fla. - The short life of a once bubbly teen girl who enjoyed makeup and creating TikTok videos came to an end when she was killed while on vacation with her family.
Anna Kepner, 18, died at 11:17 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 7 while the cruise ship she was on – Carnival's Horizon – was returning from international waters to PortMiami.
What we know:
Kepner – a senior at Temple Christian School in Titusville – was a guest onboard the ship.
Born June 13, 2007, Kepner was fun, outgoing and bubbly. She loved animals – particularly dolphins and butterflies – music – all expect heavy metal, her obituary said – and sports, her obituary said.
More: Mom of teen who died on cruise ship remembers her daughter’s constant smile
The Titusville cheerleader – who aspired to join the U.S. Navy after graduation – was known as a "really good child," her mother, Heather Kepner, described her in an interview with FOX 35. "She was always happy," Kepner said.
Friends and family attended a celebration of life on Nov. 20 in honor of Kepner.
How did Anna Kepner die?
Kepner died from asphyxiation, or being deprived of oxygen, according to new court documents filed in an unrelated child custody case between Kepner's stepmom and her ex-husband.
The documents also revealed that Kepner's body was found under one of the beds in the same room that Kepner shared with her brother and her stepbrother – who was identified as a suspect in her death.
Anna Kepner, an 18-year-old girl from Titusville, Florida, who was months away from graduating from high school, was found dead at 11:17 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 7 aboard the Carnival Horizon cruise ship.
She and several family members were all on a Caribbean cruise vacation.
A teen suspect in Anna Kepner's death was in federal adult court with his attorney in Miami on Feb. 6, 2026.
What do we know about the suspect in her death?
Now, five months after Kepner's death, her stepbrother was charged in connection with her death, an April 13 press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of Florida said.
Kepner's stepbrother, 16, – known in court documents as T.H. – was indicted by a federal grand jury on April 13 with two charges in connection to her death: murder and aggravated sexual abuse.
In an unrelated custody case between the stepbrother's parents, the case confirmed that the stepbrother was admitted into a medical facility when the family returned to PortMiami and that he's also no longer living with his family in their Titusville home.
"I was able to talk to him last night for under two minutes briefly. He just keeps repeating over and over he can’t remember anything," the boy's mom, Shauntel Hudson-Kepner, said in text messages released in the child custody case.
The son took medication for ADHD and insomnia, Hudson-Kepner said during the Dec. 5 court hearing. He had not taken the insomnia medication for two nights on the cruise, including the night before Anna's body was found, his mom confirmed before a judge in court.
Read more: Teen 'suspect' said 'he 'can't remember anything' about girl's cruise ship death, mom says
Anna Kepner's mother speaks to FOX 35 News following daughter's death
The mother of Anna Kepner, the 18-year-old found dead aboard a cruise ship, is sharing memories of her daughter and describing her as a joyful, compassionate young woman. In an interview with FOX 35, Heather Kepner said Anna was "always happy," recalling her daughter’s love of horseback riding and cheerleading.
Shared a room with her stepbrother
The teen boy's mom confirmed that Kepner and her stepbrother shared a room during the cruise. The adults slept in another room, she confirmed.
Read more: Family claims teen, found dead under bed, not seen for 17 hours
Anna was not seen by her family for 17 hours on the cruise ship before she was found dead around 11 a.m., Friday, Nov. 4 in her cabin.
"With the teenagers across the hall, did you ever go in and check on them," asked an attorney to Hudson-Kepner. "No, I had went to sleep," she answered.
An April 10 court filing shows a judge ordered that Hudson's case be transferred to adult court – upon which filings in connection to this case will be unsealed.
What's next:
FBI Miami is continuing to investigate this case.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from Anna Kepner's online obituary and previous reporting.