New interviews and video have surfaced in the wake of 18-year-old Anna Kepner’s death aboard the Carnival Horizon in November, adding details of the teen’s relationship with her 16-year-old stepbrother, as well as haunting new images of the teen before she died.
Kepner: “reluctant” to go on the cruise
Kepner’s maternal aunt, Krystal Wright, told the Daily Mail that the cheerleader had been uneasy about sharing a cabin with her stepbrother, identified in reports as either T.H. or Timothy, and was reluctant to go on the family cruise. Wright said Kepner “wasn’t really wanting to go on the trip” because the boy would be there, and that she “wasn’t comfortable with the boy. She was worried about him.”
Wright added that Kepner’s discomfort reportedly went back for much of the time the blended family had lived together and described a family dynamic she called “fractured long before the vacation.”
Those comments from Wright diverge from what Kepner’s stepmother, Shauntel Hudson, said during a recent court hearing. In family court filings related to a custody dispute, Hudson has argued that the teens were close, referring to Kepner, her stepbrother, and her 14-year-old brother as “Three Amigos.”
A judge in that hearing described the 16-year-old as “a suspect” in connection with Kepner’s death, though authorities have not publicly confirmed that’s the case.
The new Kepner footage
Meanwhile, new video footage of Kepner on board the cruise ship discovered by a fellow passenger has been shared with news outlets. Passenger Nicholas Giddens told The U.S. Sun he found and reviewed clips showing Kepner dancing and smiling at a shipboard event days before she was found dead. Giddens told the outlet he recognized Kepner and her grandmother in the footage and said the images capture her enjoying a family moment.
The U.S. Sun published the passenger’s account alongside stills from the footage; Giddens told the paper the video helped confirm the timeline of her last known public activity aboard the ship.
What happened to Anna Kepner?
Crews found Kepner, an 18-year-old from Titusville, Florida, dead on November 7, 2025, in the cabin she shared with family members during a six-day Caribbean cruise. Authorities later ruled her death a homicide by mechanical asphyxia, noting bruising consistent with a chokehold, though the complete autopsy and toxicology results are still forthcoming.
Surveillance and other evidence presented to family members reportedly showed the 16-year-old stepbrother entering and exiting the cabin around the time of her death. The teen was subsequently hospitalized for psychiatric evaluation and later sent to live with relatives.
As of now, no charges have been publicly filed in connection with Kepner’s death. The FBI has taken the lead on the probe because the incident occurred on a vessel in international waters, and investigators say they are continuing to develop evidence before determining whether state or federal charges are appropriate.
Published: Dec 15, 2025 03:37 pm