:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(999x351:1001x353):format(webp)/anna-kepner-carnival-cruise-041326-cf690481291642ebb3d8b77f67931d8c.jpg)
Anna Kepner; The Carnival Horizon cruise ship docked on Dec. 17, 2023 in Miami, Florida.Credit : Anna Kepner/Facebook; Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty
NEED TO KNOW
Anna Kepner was an 18-year-old high school senior who had plans to join the U.S. Navy and become a K9 officer
She was found dead under her bed while aboard a Carnival Horizon cruise ship on Nov. 7, 2025
Her 16-year-old stepbrother, T.H., was indicted on charges of murder and aggravated sexual abuse on April 13
Anna Kepner was found dead while on a Carnival cruise ship with her family on Nov. 7, 2025.
Five months after the FBI started investigating her death, a federal grand jury indicted her 16-year-old stepbrother on April 13. The stepsibling, who is identified as T.H., was indicted on charges of murder and aggravated sexual abuse and will be tried as an adult in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
Both Kepner and her stepbrother were traveling on the Carnival Horizon ship as it was returning to port in Miami. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida released a statement claiming that T.H. allegedly sexually assaulted and intentionally killed Kepner “on or about Nov. 6-7, 2025.”
At the time of her death, Kepner was sharing a room with her stepbrother, according to family court documents filed by the parents of T.H. and previously obtained by PEOPLE. Kepner went back to the room on the night of Nov. 6 and was later found dead under her bed the following day. Her cause of death was determined to be mechanical asphyxiation, and it was investigated as a homicide.
In the days following her death, Kepner’s relatives identified her as the deceased in an interview with ABC News and described her as a “people person.” They added, “She loved being around people. She had that type of energy that just drew you in with her smile.”
From her upbringing to her death, here’s everything to know about Anna Kepner, the teenager who was killed aboard a Carnival cruise ship.
She was from central Florida
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(956x595:958x597):format(webp)/Annakepner-112925-1279bd99a6bd414ba6a6308233c42d8d.jpg)
Anna Kepner.Anna Kepner/Facebook
Kepner was born on June 13, 2007, to Christopher Kepner and Heather Wright, per her obituary.
According to ABC News, she grew up in Titusville, Fla., a town roughly 40 miles from Orlando, Fla.
Kepner’s parents were not married at the time of her death. Her father’s wife, Shauntel Hudson, is listed in the obituary as the late teenager’s stepmother.
She was a high school cheerleader who planned to join the military after graduation
Kepner attended Titusville High School, where she was a member of the Varsity Cheer Team, and later Astronaut High School before ending up at Temple Christian School, per her obituary. A high school senior, she was expected to graduate in 2026.
As a Georgia Bulldogs fan, Kepner dreamed of becoming a cheerleader for the University of Georgia, with plans to join the U.S. Navy and later become a K9 police officer, according to her obituary.
“She had just finished taking the test to join the military,” the late teenager’s family told ABC News. “She was already talking to recruiters and had chosen her career path. She wanted to do something that would help her community.”
She was described as “pure energy”
In her obituary, Kepner was described as “pure energy,” someone who was “bubbly, funny, outgoing, and completely herself.”
“She never had a filter, and that was part of her charm,” the description continued. “Whether she was practicing new makeup looks (even if she had nowhere to go), making TikToks in front of the mirror, or blasting a perfectly curated playlist on the boat. Anna lived every day with her whole heart. She loved the sun, the water, boat days, island days, and beach days, anything that let her soak in the light she so easily radiated to others.”
Related Stories
Carnival Cruise Line Hit with Lawsuit After 2 Passengers Allegedly Wake Up Covered in Bed Bug Bites
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/Carnival-Horizon-cruise-ship-051925-tout-40cd9690d83b4ffa9ce65085c65f396a.jpg)
Australian Cruise Canceled After 80-Year-Old Woman Who ‘Failed to Board’ Was Found Dead on Remote Pacific Island
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/Suzanne-Rees-Lizard-Island-110125-7efbc31c1a2945f9a5d50efc9fa10b1d.jpg)
The teenager is said to have loved “all kinds of music” — except heavy metal — and she had special adoration for “Stitches” singer Shawn Mendes. She also loved kids, dolphins, butterflies, arts and crafts and doing puzzles with her Memaw.
While speaking with ABC News, Kepner’s relatives said that “if you were sad, she’d make you laugh.”
“She would joke around and be the funniest little person in school,” they continued.
She had seven siblings
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2):format(webp)/anna-kepner-grandparents-112425-2-3ce3536868174c82a6627bad98543054.jpg)
Anna Kepner’s grandparents.Good Morning America/Youtube
Kepner was a sister to seven siblings: Andrew, Tim, Alex, Connor, Cody, Kylie and Brooke. Some of them are her stepsiblings from her dad’s second marriage.
“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,” her obituary read.
Our new app is here! Free, fun and full of exclusives. Scan to download now!
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/People_Onsite_ATF_Overlay_DesktopVersion_070125_qr_code11-6a9808bc1dfa4c2a9603155d7a5343d3.png)
She died in November 2025 while vacationing on a cruise ship with her family
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(736x258:738x260):format(webp)/anna-kepner-grandparents-041426-a58a14c4658b4b04ae59225cc9739f41.jpg)
Anna Kepner’s grandparents, Jeffrey and Barbara.ABC News
On Nov. 7, Kepner was found dead while traveling on the Carnival Horizon cruise, per ABC News.
CBS News later reported that a housekeeper found Kepner’s body under the bed in her stateroom, citing law enforcement sources.
The outlet shared that she had been traveling with her dad, his wife, two siblings and two stepsiblings, and had gone back to her room after telling them she was not feeling well the night before.
On Nov. 19, NBC News reported that one of Kepner’s stepsiblings was being looked at by federal agents in connection with her death. The reveal came from a court filing in a separate case, pertaining to the stepmother’s former marriage.
Kepner’s family provided a copy of her death certificate to ABC News on Nov. 24, showing that her death has been ruled a homicide. It states that she was “mechanically asphyxiated by other person(s).”
On Dec. 5, a Florida judge announced during a court hearing that Kepner’s 16-year-old stepbrother — who had been sent to live with relatives while the FBI was investigating — was “a suspect” in her death.
After news of the investigation broke, Kepner’s grandmother told ABC News that her granddaughter and T.H. “were just like brother and sister” and were “two peas in a pod.”
She continued, “I know that those two kids cared about each other in the right way.”
Her stepbrother was indicted on sexual abuse and murder charges
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2):format(webp)/carnival-horizon-ship-120925-a52f21237e2146188e6e887939c7fe52.jpg)
Carnival ‘Horizon’ cruise ship.Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty
On April 13, a federal grand jury indicted her 16-year-old stepbrother, T.H., in connection with Kepner’s death.
The minor male, who will be tried as an adult, was indicted on charges of murder and aggravated sexual abuse. Although the stepbrother is underage, he will be tried as an adult in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida because of the violent nature of Kepner’s death.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida said that T.H. “allegedly sexually assaulted and intentionally killed” Kepner. He faces the possibility of life in prison if convicted.
T.H. previously appeared in federal court in Miami on Feb. 6 before he was released into the the custody of a family member, a law enforcement source previously told PEOPLE.
“At this time, it is deeply painful and disturbing to our family that the person responsible is able to walk freely,” Shauntel and Chris said in a statement at the time. “This reality adds to our grief and outrage. It is devastating to know that while we live every day with the loss of our child, the individual responsible has not yet been fully held accountable.”
News
BREAKING: What was first called a “suspicious death” just took a chilling turn—the victim has been identified, and the marks on her neck are pointing investigators in a completely new direction.
LATEST: Identity Officially Confirmed in “Suspicious” Death of Woman Found on Popular Trail, Investigation Takes New Direction Authorities have officially confirmed the identity of a woman whose death has been described as “suspicious” after her body was discovered on a well-known hiking trail. The case, which has drawn widespread public attention and concern, is now […]
I came to bury my father… and found another woman sitting in my place, wearing my dress, holding my husband’s hand like she had already replaced me.
I went to bury my father and found my husband’s mistress in my missing Versace. She was seated with my family, fingers linked with my husband’s, wearing my father’s birthday gift like a trophy. Then Dad’s attorney opened the will and read a line addressed to me about the affair I had told him the […]
They declared my grandfather dead before sunrise… but the man they were trying to bury was sitting right across from me—listening as they planned to take everything.
FULL STORY – THE MORNING THEY TRIED TO BURY HIM ALIVE PART 1: THE CALL They called to claim my grandfather’s fortune before sunrise… but the man they were trying to bury was sitting right across from me—listening to every word. 6:00 a.m. My phone lit up in the dark. I shouldn’t have answered. Something […]
My father called to tell me my grandfather was dead… but the man they were trying to bury was sitting right in front of me, listening to every word.
FULL STORY – PART 1: The Morning They Tried to Bury Him Alive They called to claim my grandfather’s money before sunrise… but the man they were trying to bury was sitting across from me—listening to every word. 6:00 a.m. My phone lit up in the dark like something urgent—something wrong. I woke up […]
The night my father threw me out for being pregnant… he had no idea he was protecting a secret that could destroy all of us. Fifteen years later, that secret came knocking on my door.
My Father Threw Me Out When I Got Pregnant Without Knowing the Truth. Fifteen Years Later, My Family Came to Visit Me and My Son… and What They Saw Left Them Pale and Speechless.”….“What have you done?”…My father’s roar cracked through the house so hard the pictures on the hallway wall rattled. I was still […]
“I didn’t invite you, Mom. The whole family agreed you’re no longer one of us.” He didn’t whisper it. He didn’t hesitate. He stood there—blocking the church doors like a stranger—and said it as if I had never held him, never raised him, never been anything at all.
He tried to erase me at the altar… but what he didn’t know was that I had already uncovered everything—and I wasn’t leaving quietly. “I didn’t invite you, Mom. The whole family agreed you’re no longer one of us.” The words didn’t just sting. They cut. Deep. Clean. Final. For a moment, I thought I […]
End of content
No more pages to load
