Stepbrother of woman who died on Carnival cruise now a suspect
[November 21, 2025]
By MIKE SCHNEIDER
TITUSVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The 16-year-old stepbrother of the Florida high
school senior who died this month on a Carnival cruise ship has been
identified as a suspect in her death, according to court documents filed
by his parents.
The disclosures — contained in motions filed in an ongoing custody
dispute — offer the clearest public indication that federal
investigators are scrutinizing a member of the victim’s own blended
family.
The documents show both parents acknowledging that their middle child —
identified in court only by his initials “T.H.” — is under FBI
investigation in connection with the death of Anna Kepner, a high school
cheerleader from Florida’s Space Coast.
Her death aboard the ship has drawn international attention and remains
shrouded in uncertainty. Neither the FBI nor Carnival has said publicly
how Kepner died, whether a crime occurred, or what led agents to focus
on the teen.
On Thursday evening, a private memorial service was held for Kepner at a
church in Titusville, some 40 miles (65 kilometers) east of Orlando.
A spokesperson for the FBI has declined to comment about the case,
saying the agency “does not provide operational updates about ongoing
investigations.”
A final autopsy report detailing the cause and manner of death is still
pending, according to the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner’s office.
“T.H.” is "now a suspect in the death of the step child during the
cruise,” Thomas Hudson, the boy's father, said in court papers seeking
custody of the youngest of the three children he shares with his
ex-wife.
Hudson's ex-wife, Shauntel Hudson, also acknowledged in family court
filings that her middle child was a suspect in the death of Kepner
aboard the Carnival Horizon ship. Shauntel Hudson married Kepner's
father after her divorce from Thomas Hudson. Kepner was traveling aboard
the ship with Shauntel Hudson and her minor children.
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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)
“It is true that there is an open investigation regarding the death
of the biological daughter of the stepfather and T.H. is a suspect
regarding this death which occurred recently on a cruise ship,”
Shauntel Hudson's attorney wrote.
Shauntel Hudson wrote that this week she and her ex-husband had
agreed to have the teenage boy live with a relative “to ensure the
safety of the youngest child of the parties." She also said that her
ex-husband had hired an attorney for their son due to the probe into
Kepner's death.
Earlier this week, Shauntel Hudson's attorney had asked for a delay
in a court hearing scheduled next month because of the FBI
investigation. The attorney argued that her client cannot be
compelled to testify, as any testimony Shauntel Hudson may give
“could be prejudicial to her or her adolescent child in this pending
criminal investigation.”
Kepner's loved ones had said Thursday's memorial in Titusville would
be a celebration of life for the girl. Her family encouraged
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.
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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