New allegations in the Anna Kepner case tell a frightening story of step-siblings. A housekeeper found the 18-year-old dead in her stateroom aboard the Carnival Horizon cruise ship on November 8, 2025, and the disturbing details that have come out since have gripped the nation. Anna Kepner died while on the cruise with her father, Christopher Kepner, stepmother, Shauntel Hudson, and siblings. Following her death, those who knew the teen claim a stepbrother became obsessed with the high school cheerleader. New court filings reportedly name the 16-year-old as the prime suspect in Anna’s death.
According to ABC News, Anna Kepner died by asphyxiation resulting from a bar hold, likely an arm across her neck. Toxicology reports showed no drugs or alcohol in her system, and her body did not show signs of sexual assault. Anna Kepner’s ex-boyfriend, Joshua Tew, told Inside Edition she feared her 16-year-old stepbrother.
Tew alleged that he saw the stepbrother trying to “get on top” of Kepner once while they were on a FaceTime call and confronted the teen. The teen reportedly ran away, and Tew told Anna’s parents about the incident. He said they didn’t believe him and told Tew that if Anna brought the incident up, they would talk to her then. The poor girl evidently felt terrified of the teenager.
“She was too scared to tell anybody,” Tew said, per Inside Edition. The stepbrother allegedly told Anna Kepner that if she said anything, he would do something to harm her.
The minute Tew learned about her death, he contacted the FBI to tip off the agency about the strange behavior. He said the stepbrother would stare at Anna Kepner in a very odd way, not like a stepbrother at all. He also said the teen feared the boy so much that she often stayed at friends’ homes to avoid him.
Tew reportedly spoke to Anna Kepner’s biological brother after her death. The brother reportedly claimed he tried to get into her stateroom the night she died but could not enter. The brother also told Tew he heard the pair fighting and chairs flying in the room, Inside Edition reported.
According to custody hearing court records obtained by People, Shauntel Hudson invoked the Fifth Amendment during a divorce hearing with her estranged husband, Thomas Hudson, after Anna Kepner’s death. Thomas Hudson requested an emergency motion for temporary relief, alleging his estranged wife put the teenager in danger.
“The sixteen year old child is now a suspect in the death of the step child during the cruise,” court documents state, per the magazine.
Shauntel Hudson responded by invoking her constitutional rights because testimony “could be prejudicial to her or her adolescent child in this pending criminal investigation.”
As the case continues to evolve, we hope investigators will find the truth.
