{"id":7608,"date":"2025-12-24T08:36:50","date_gmt":"2025-12-24T08:36:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/forefrontnews.cn\/?p=7608"},"modified":"2025-12-24T08:36:50","modified_gmt":"2025-12-24T08:36:50","slug":"texts-after-anna-kepners-mysterious-cruise-ship-death-show-family-scrambling-to-clamp-down-on-info","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/forefrontnews.cn\/?p=7608","title":{"rendered":"Texts after Anna Kepner\u2019s mysterious cruise ship death show family scrambling to clamp down on info"},"content":{"rendered":"

Newly released court records shed additional light on how a family responded after the death of 18-year-old Anna Kepner, who was found dead aboard a\u00a0Carnival cruise ship<\/a>\u00a0last month.<\/p>\n

According to\u00a0documents obtained by FOX 35 Orlando,<\/a>\u00a0text messages exchanged after Anna\u2019s death show the family\u2019s concern about limiting information shared publicly and keeping their 16-year-old son\u2019s name out of the media.<\/p>\n

The messages were submitted as exhibits in an ongoing family court case and include exchanges that began within roughly a day of Anna\u2019s body being discovered. The messages also emphasize the family\u2019s position that the teen does not remember events surrounding Anna\u2019s death.<\/p>\n

Anna Kepner was found dead Nov. 7 in her cabin aboard the Carnival Horizon, which returned to Port Miami two days later. Federal authorities\u00a0boarded the ship upon<\/a>\u00a0its return and began collecting evidence.<\/p>\n

CHEERLEADER’S CRUISE SHIP DEATH HAS FAMILY POINTING FINGERS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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Anna Kepner was identified by her family as the passenger who died onboard the Carnival Horizon.\u00a0(Instagram\/Anna Kepner)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Officials said she\u00a0died from mechanical asphyxia<\/a>, meaning she was deprived of oxygen. No suspect has been publicly named in the case.<\/p>\n

Text exchanges between Anna\u2019s stepmother, Shauntel Kepner, and her ex-husband show conversations that began the evening of Nov. 8, about a day after Anna\u2019s body was discovered.<\/p>\n

Court records indicate the discussions focused largely on managing information, limiting social media exposure and addressing concerns involving the teen, who is a minor, rather than on the circumstances of Anna\u2019s death. Court documents indicate the teen is\u00a0being investigated in connection<\/a>\u00a0with Anna\u2019s death but note he has not been charged.<\/p>\n

ANNA KEPNER DIES MYSTERIOUSLY DURING FAMILY VACATION ON CARNIVAL CRUISE SHIP: TIMELINE OF EVENTS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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In one message sent around 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 8, Shauntel asked her ex-husband to call her immediately, describing the situation as an emergency. When he later suggested picking up their daughter, Shauntel declined, explaining the girl had only been told that her brother was struggling emotionally and was being evaluated at a hospital.<\/p>\n

In a later exchange on Nov. 9, Shauntel described a brief conversation she said she had with her son while he was in a medical facility. She stated he repeatedly said he could not remember anything and that a nurse allowed the short call so she could reassure him that his parents loved him.<\/p>\n

The messages also show efforts to prevent information from spreading on social media, including concerns about posts circulating online and the desire to shield the teen from negative attention. Shauntel emphasized that he is a minor and that the family\u00a0did not want his name released<\/a>.<\/p>\n

FATHER OF CHEERLEADER WHO DIED ON CARNIVAL CRUISE SUBPOENAED TO TESTIFY IN CUSTODY CASE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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During a Dec. 5 court appearance, Shauntel\u2019s attorney said the teen\u2019s father agreed to have him live with a relative after his release from the hospital once the ship docked. The attorney said the decision was made to eliminate any potential risk to other children in the home, according to FOX 35 Orlando.<\/p>\n

Shauntel also testified that the teen takes medication for ADHD and insomnia and had not taken his insomnia medication for two nights during the cruise, including the night before Anna\u2019s body was found.<\/p>\n

Court documents state Anna\u2019s\u00a0body was discovered under<\/a>\u00a0a bed in a cabin she was sharing with two siblings, including her 16-year-old stepbrother.<\/p>\n

CRUISE TRAGEDY: \u2018I AM NOT OKAY,\u2019 SAYS MOTHER OF 18-YEAR-OLD FOUND DEAD ABOARD CARNIVAL SHIP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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(L-R) Chris Kepner, Shauntel Kepner, and Jeffrey Kepner arrive to court in Melbourne, Florida, Friday, December 5, 2025. The trio are \u00a0headed to an emergency custody hearing in an ongoing dispute between Shauntel and her ex-husband, Thomas Hudson. (Mark Sims for Fox News Digital)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

While the FBI has not publicly identified anyone as a suspect and no criminal charges have been filed, records from an ongoing family court dispute between Anna\u2019s father and stepmother, Christopher Kepner and Shauntel Kepner, and Shauntel Kepner\u2019s ex-husband, Thomas Hudson, indicate the teen is being investigated in Anna\u2019s death.<\/p>\n

Additional messages referenced the possibility that\u00a0charges could be filed<\/a>\u00a0depending on the results of the autopsy. Shauntel said the family planned to learn more once the autopsy findings were available.<\/p>\n

A\u00a0former sheriff\u2019s detective<\/a>, Jamie Copenhaver, reviewed the messages and told FOX 35 Orlando they raised concerns for him. He said the exchanges appeared focused on controlling public perception rather than addressing the loss of an 18-year-old family member.<\/p>\n

CHEERLEADER WHO DIED ABOARD CARNIVAL CRUISE SHIP CREMATED, DEATH CERTIFICATE REVEALS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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Anna Kepner, her father, stepmother and several siblings in a family photo.\u00a0(Shauntel Kepner\/Facebook)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Copenhaver described the messages as resembling “damage control,” adding that the tone suggested to him that the family knew more than what had been publicly shared.<\/p>\n

Messages included in the court records also show both parents expressing emotional support for their son, emphasizing that he was not alone and that his family stood by him.<\/p>\n

In one exchange, Hudson told Shauntel that he wanted their son to know “he isn\u2019t just dead to everyone,” adding that “regardless of everything at the moment, he needs his parents,” and that he wanted an opportunity to speak with him as soon as possible.<\/p>\n

Kepner, of Titusville, Florida<\/a>, was a high school senior at Temple Christian School. She was preparing to graduate in the spring of 2026 and hoped to enlist in the U.S. Navy, her family said.<\/p>\n

The FBI has not released details about the investigation, and the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner has not publicly released Anna\u2019s autopsy or toxicology results. The investigation remains ongoing, and more than six weeks later, no individual has been publicly identified as a suspect.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Newly released court records shed additional light on how a family responded after the death of 18-year-old Anna Kepner, who was found dead aboard a\u00a0Carnival cruise ship\u00a0last month. According to\u00a0documents… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7612,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,257],"tags":[3977,431,3978],"views":179,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/forefrontnews.cn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7608"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/forefrontnews.cn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/forefrontnews.cn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/forefrontnews.cn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/forefrontnews.cn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7608"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/forefrontnews.cn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7608\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7613,"href":"http:\/\/forefrontnews.cn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7608\/revisions\/7613"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/forefrontnews.cn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7612"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/forefrontnews.cn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7608"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/forefrontnews.cn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7608"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/forefrontnews.cn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7608"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}