The shocking and heartbreaking death of 18-year-old Anna Marie Kepner aboard the Carnival Horizon on November 7, 2025, has shaken Titusville, Florida—and sparked a growing wave of national attention. Newly surfaced leaked details from court filings, combined with an ongoing FBI investigation, have fueled public concern as the family awaits answers.

Anna, a beloved senior at Temple Christian School and a varsity cheerleader, was discovered dead under disturbing circumstances inside her cruise ship cabin—wrapped in a blanket, covered with life jackets, and hidden beneath a bed. Her cause of death remains undisclosed.

This is the full story behind the tragedy that cut short a bright young life.

Who Was Anna Kepner? A Bright, Ambitious Teen Known as “Anna Banana”

Anna Marie Kepner wasn’t just a student—she was a standout.

• Varsity cheerleader and former gymnast
• Straight-A senior at Temple Christian School
• Dreamed of joining the U.S. Navy after her 2026 graduation
• Planned to become a K9 officer in law enforcement
• Known for kindness, humility, and quietly helping others

Friends described her as someone who “lit up a room” and teachers remembered her as “a warm, energetic presence with a generous heart.”

Her TikTok posts in the weeks before the cruise hinted at emotional struggles, but also showed resilience—smiling through heartbreak, encouraging positivity, and reminding others to keep going.

What Happened on the Carnival Horizon? The Final Hours of Nov. 6–7

The Kepner family—biological and step-siblings included—had boarded the Carnival Horizon for a six-day Caribbean cruise just days earlier.

Evening of November 6

Anna began feeling ill during dinner and returned alone to her cabin. She was not seen alive again.

Morning of November 7

When Anna didn’t show up for breakfast, her father, Christopher, and stepmother, Shauntel, began searching the ship.

Around 11 a.m., a cabin steward entered to clean the room and made a devastating discovery:

• Anna’s body was wrapped in a blanket
• Life jackets were stacked on top
• She had been placed and concealed under a bed

The ship’s medical examiner recorded 11:17 a.m. as her official time of death. Authorities have not released the cause.

FBI Investigation: Why Federal Agents Took Control

Because the incident happened in international waters, the FBI has full jurisdiction.

Agents boarded the ship when it docked in Miami on November 8. All family members were interviewed.

Then came the bombshell.

A mid-November court filing—linked to an unrelated custody case involving Anna’s stepmother—revealed investigators told Shauntel that criminal charges “may be initiated” against one of her minor children. That child would be a stepsibling of Anna’s.

No arrests have been made.
No suspects have been publicly named.
No cause of death has been released.

Anna’s father has pleaded for privacy, stating the family knows little more than the public and is “waiting for answers.”

Timeline of Key Events

Inside the Blended Family Dynamics

Anna’s family life had recently changed:

• Father: Christopher Kepner (41), crane operator
• Mother: Tabitha, divorced in 2023
• Stepmother: Shauntel Hudson (36), who entered the family in 2024
• Siblings:
  • Anna’s biological brother (14) and sister (9)
  • Three step-siblings, including two minors

The entire blended family traveled together on the cruise—a rare, planned bonding trip that turned into an unimaginable nightmare.

A Community in Mourning

Titusville, a small town where everyone knows each other’s kids, has been shell-shocked.

At Temple Christian School, students covered Anna’s white Kia Forte—still parked in the school lot—with:

• Flowers
• Balloons
• Letters
• Cheer bows
• Messages of love and grief

A celebration of life on November 20 drew hundreds. Instead of sending flowers to the service, the family asked mourners to leave them on Anna’s car—the spot she should have returned to.

In Memory of Anna Kepner: A Life Full of Promise Cut Short

The tragic and leaked details emerging from this case have raised painful questions:

How does an 18-year-old die on a family cruise?
Why was she hidden?
Who is responsible?
And why has the cause of death not been released?

As the FBI investigation continues, the only certainty is the heartbreak left behind.

Anna “Banana” Kepner was a daughter, sister, friend, and dreamer—a young woman whose life was supposed to be just beginning. Instead, her story has become a haunting mystery that has captivated the nation and devastated her community.

The world now waits for answers.
And Titusville mourns the loss of one of its brightest lights.