Texts after Anna Kepner’s mysterious cruise ship death show family scrambling to clamp down on info

Newly released tribunal records shed further airy connected however a household responded aft the decease of 18-year-old Anna Kepner, who was recovered dormant aboard a Carnival cruise vessel past month.

According to documents obtained by FOX 35 Orlando, substance messages exchanged aft Anna’s decease amusement the family’s interest astir limiting accusation shared publically and keeping their 16-year-old son’s sanction retired of the media.

The messages were submitted arsenic exhibits successful an ongoing household tribunal lawsuit and see exchanges that began wrong astir a time of Anna’s assemblage being discovered. The messages besides stress the family’s presumption that the teen does not retrieve events surrounding Anna’s death.

Anna Kepner was recovered dormant Nov. 7 successful her compartment aboard the Carnival Horizon, which returned to Port Miami 2 days later. Federal authorities boarded the vessel upon its instrumentality and began collecting evidence.

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Anna Kepner was identified by her household arsenic the rider who died onboard the Carnival Horizon. (Instagram/Anna Kepner)

Officials said she died from mechanical asphyxia, meaning she was deprived of oxygen. No fishy has been publically named successful the case.

Text exchanges betwixt Anna’s stepmother, Shauntel Kepner, and her ex-husband amusement conversations that began the evening of Nov. 8, astir a time aft Anna’s assemblage was discovered.

Court records bespeak the discussions focused mostly connected managing information, limiting societal media vulnerability and addressing concerns involving the teen, who is simply a minor, alternatively than connected the circumstances of Anna’s death. Court documents bespeak the teen is being investigated successful transportation with Anna’s decease but enactment helium has not been charged.

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In 1 connection sent astir 7:30 p.m. connected Nov. 8, Shauntel asked her ex-husband to telephone her immediately, describing the concern arsenic an emergency. When helium aboriginal suggested picking up their daughter, Shauntel declined, explaining the miss had lone been told that her member was struggling emotionally and was being evaluated astatine a hospital.

In a aboriginal speech connected Nov. 9, Shauntel described a little speech she said she had with her lad portion helium was successful a aesculapian facility. She stated helium repeatedly said helium could not retrieve thing and that a caregiver allowed the abbreviated telephone truthful she could reassure him that his parents loved him.

The messages besides amusement efforts to forestall accusation from spreading connected societal media, including concerns astir posts circulating online and the tendency to shield the teen from antagonistic attention. Shauntel emphasized that helium is simply a insignificant and that the household did not privation his sanction released.

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During a Dec. 5 tribunal appearance, Shauntel’s lawyer said the teen’s begetter agreed to person him unrecorded with a comparative aft his merchandise from the infirmary erstwhile the vessel docked. The lawyer said the determination was made to destruct immoderate imaginable hazard to different children successful the home, according to FOX 35 Orlando.

Shauntel besides testified that the teen takes medicine for ADHD and insomnia and had not taken his insomnia medicine for 2 nights during the cruise, including the nighttime earlier Anna’s assemblage was found.

Court documents authorities Anna’s assemblage was discovered nether a furniture successful a compartment she was sharing with 2 siblings, including her 16-year-old stepbrother.

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(L-R) Chris Kepner, Shauntel Kepner, and Jeffrey Kepner get to tribunal successful Melbourne, Florida, Friday, December 5, 2025. The trio are  headed to an exigency custody proceeding successful an ongoing quality betwixt Shauntel and her ex-husband, Thomas Hudson. (Mark Sims for Fox News Digital)

While the FBI has not publically identified anyone arsenic a fishy and nary transgression charges person been filed, records from an ongoing household tribunal quality betwixt Anna’s begetter and stepmother, Christopher Kepner and Shauntel Kepner, and Shauntel Kepner’s ex-husband, Thomas Hudson, bespeak the teen is being investigated successful Anna’s death.

Additional messages referenced the anticipation that charges could beryllium filed depending connected the results of the autopsy. Shauntel said the household planned to larn much erstwhile the autopsy findings were available.

A erstwhile sheriff’s detective, Jamie Copenhaver, reviewed the messages and told FOX 35 Orlando they raised concerns for him. He said the exchanges appeared focused connected controlling nationalist cognition alternatively than addressing the nonaccomplishment of an 18-year-old household member.

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Anna Kepner, her father, stepmother and respective siblings successful a household photo. (Shauntel Kepner/Facebook)

Copenhaver described the messages arsenic resembling "damage control," adding that the code suggested to him that the household knew much than what had been publically shared.

Messages included successful the tribunal records besides amusement some parents expressing affectional enactment for their son, emphasizing that helium was not unsocial and that his household stood by him.

In 1 exchange, Hudson told Shauntel that helium wanted their lad to cognize "he isn’t conscionable dormant to everyone," adding that "regardless of everything astatine the moment, helium needs his parents," and that helium wanted an accidental to talk with him arsenic soon arsenic possible.

Kepner, of Titusville, Florida, was a precocious schoolhouse elder astatine Temple Christian School. She was preparing to postgraduate successful the outpouring of 2026 and hoped to enlist successful the U.S. Navy, her household said.

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The FBI has not released details astir the investigation, and the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner has not publically released Anna’s autopsy oregon toxicology results. The probe remains ongoing, and much than six weeks later, nary idiosyncratic has been publically identified arsenic a suspect.

Fox News Digital’s Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.

Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send communicative tips to [email protected].