Mysterious death of a teen on Carnival cruise ship is now a criminal inquiry

David Goodhue and Milena Malaver, Miami Herald on Nov 19, 2025

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MIAMI — The FBI is investigating the mysterious death of a teenage girl whose body was found on a Carnival cruise ship this month, the company said.

Anna Marie Kepner, 18, was found dead Nov. 8 on board the Carnival Horizon as it was heading back to PortMiami from a Caribbean cruise.

Doral-based Carnival said the case is “an ongoing matter under the jurisdiction of law enforcement” and that the company is “fully cooperating with the Miami office of the FBI.”

According to Miami Herald news partner CBS News Miami, Kepner, from Brevard County on Florida’s Space Coast, was traveling with her father, her stepmother and three step siblings. A housekeeping worker found the teen’s body under the bed in her room, according to the report.

The station also reported that a filing this week in her stepmother’s ongoing divorce case in Brevard County indicates that one of her children is part of the investigation into Kepner’s death.

The filing was an emergency motion in stepmother Shauntel Hudson’s divorce proceedings to reschedule a hearing, stating “a criminal case may be initiated” against one of her children.

Thomas Graham, a Miami personal injury attorney who has represented several clients in lawsuits against cruise lines, said there may be complications with the case because the closest thing to law enforcement on the ship was likely security, and 24 hours passed from the approximate time the teen was killed and when the vessel returned to port.

“Hopefully, appropriate steps to secure all evidence and maintain the crime scene were taken. These ships are covered in cameras and there should be digital evidence of everyone who entered and exited the state room via the electronic key system,” Graham told the Miami Herald.

‘Anna was a believer’

An obituary published by her family this week described Kepner as a bright, joyful presence who “filled the world with laughter, love, and light.” Known affectionately as “Anna Banana,” she was celebrated for her spontaneity, her unfiltered humor, and the warmth she brought to everyone around her.

She is survived by her father, Christopher Kepner, her mother, Heather Wright, Hudson, her stepmother, and seven siblings according to the obituary. It was not immediately clear if any of those siblings are step relatives.

According to the obituary, Kepner had big plans for her future. Kepner hoped to join the Navy after graduation and later become a K9 police officer.

She attended Titusville High School and Astronaut High School before finding what her family described as her “home” at Temple Christian School, where she was looking forward to graduating with the Class of 2026. She was also a former member of the Titusville High Varsity Cheer Team. She earned her boater’s license before she could drive, became PADI-certified to dive with her family, and spent her childhood immersed in gymnastics, eventually helping coach younger athletes.

“She loved her siblings deeply and made sure they always felt it whether it be taking them to the park, Halloween Horror Nights, or just out for fun, because that’s who she was: thoughtful, nurturing, and always thinking of others,” the obituary said.