Speculation intensifies in the death of a Florida high schooler on a
cruise
[November 20, 2025]
By KATE PAYNE
The mysterious death of a high school cheerleader on a Carnival cruise
ship earlier this month is drawing international attention and sparking
intense speculation on social media.
As of Wednesday, authorities had not announced any criminal charges in
the death of 18-year-old Anna Kepner. A final autopsy report detailing
the cause and manner of death is still pending, according to the
Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner's office.
Interest about Kepner’s death on the Carnival Horizon intensified after
a court filing Monday in a separate case said the FBI is investigating
her death and that a minor child may be implicated.
The documents were filed in a dissolution of marriage case between
Thomas Hudson and Shauntel Hudson, who described Kepner’s father as her
“paramour.” Kepner was traveling aboard the ship with Shauntel Hudson
and her minor children.
A spokesperson for the FBI declined to comment, saying the agency “does
not provide operational updates about ongoing investigations.”
An attorney for Hudson filed the emergency motion to delay a scheduled
hearing on Monday, citing “the sudden death” of Kepner.
Hudson "has been advised through discussions with FBI investigators and
her attorneys, that a criminal case may be initiated against one of the
minor children,” the filing said.
Hudson's attorney argued that her client cannot be compelled to testify,
as any testimony Hudson may give “could be prejudicial to her or her
adolescent child in this pending criminal investigation.”
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Carnival Cruise Line's Carnival Horizon cruise ship is shown docked
at PortMiami, Friday, April 9, 2021, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo
Lee,File)
Hudson did not immediately respond to email inquiries Wednesday.
Email and phone messages were also left with her attorney.
An FBI spokesperson indicated that if or when charges are filed,
they would come from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern
District of Florida, which did not immediately respond to an inquiry
Wednesday.
A memorial service for Kepner is scheduled for Thursday. Her family
is urging attendees to wear colorful clothes instead of the
traditional mourner’s black, “in honor of Anna’s bright and
beautiful soul.”
Kepner’s obituary described her as someone who loved spending time
on the water and said she was planning to graduate high school next
year from Temple Christian School in Titusville, Florida, 40 miles
(64 kilometers) east of Orlando on Florida’s Space Coast.
The Carnival Horizon can hold nearly 4,000 guests and sails to the
Caribbean. Carnival Cruise Line said the ship returned to PortMiami
on Nov. 8 as planned and the ship was working with the FBI Miami
office to investigate the incident.
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