{"id":17694,"date":"2025-11-29T03:01:41","date_gmt":"2025-11-29T09:01:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/2025\/11\/29\/grandmother-of-18-year-old-found-dead-on-carnival-cruise-says-she-died-from-asphyxia\/"},"modified":"2025-11-29T03:01:42","modified_gmt":"2025-11-29T09:01:42","slug":"grandmother-of-18-year-old-found-dead-on-carnival-cruise-says-she-died-from-asphyxia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/2025\/11\/29\/grandmother-of-18-year-old-found-dead-on-carnival-cruise-says-she-died-from-asphyxia\/","title":{"rendered":"Grandmother of 18-year-old found dead on Carnival cruise says she died from \u2018asphyxia\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>Tragedy on the High Seas: The Mysterious Death of Anna Kepner<\/h1>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">MIAMI \u2014 The grandmother of a young woman whose body was found underneath a bed on a Carnival cruise ship earlier this month said the FBI told the family the teen likely died from asphyxia.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">Barbara Kepner said on ABC News\u2019 Good Morning America in an interview that aired Monday that agents told the family it appears someone applied a bar hold using his or her forearms on 18-year-old Anna Kepner\u2019s neck.<\/p>\n<h2>The Family&#8217;s Cruise Vacation Turns Deadly<\/h2>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">The elder Kepner and her husband, Jeffrey, were on the cruise with their son, Christopher Kepner (Anna\u2019s father); Anna; Anna\u2019s biological brother; Anna\u2019s stepmother, Shauntel Hudson; and Hudson\u2019s two children, Barbara Kepner told Good Morning America. The whole family lives in Florida.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">Court documents in an unrelated custody case involving Hudson and her ex-husband, filed in Brevard County last week, confirmed that the FBI considers her 16-year-old son a suspect in Anna\u2019s death.<\/p>\n<h3>Investigation and Evidence<\/h3>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">\u201cI heard him in his own words say he doesn\u2019t remember what happened,\u201d Barbara Kepner said during the interview.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">Barbara and Jeffrey Kepner told ABC News that investigators told the family that the stepbrother was the only person seen on security camera footage going in and out of the room. Anna was staying in the room with him and her biological brother, according to the interview.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">A cleaning crew found Anna\u2019s body underneath her bed around 11:20 a.m. Friday, Nov. 7, according to Miami-Dade medical examiner\u2019s office records. The agency has not released the cause of death, directing questions to the FBI, which said there are no updates in the investigation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">The ship, the Carnival Horizon, returned to PortMiami Nov. 8 after a Caribbean cruise, the company said in a statement.<\/p>\n<h4>Court Documents Reveal New Information<\/h4>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">Court documents filed Nov. 17 related to Hudson\u2019s divorce proceedings mention that her son is a focus of the investigation. Hudson\u2019s attorneys argue in the motion that she should not attend the hearing, citing her \u201cprivilege against self incrimination.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">The filing states that Hudson cannot attend a Dec. 17 custody hearing because FBI agents and her attorneys told her \u201ca criminal case may have been initiated against one of the minor children\u201d for Anna\u2019s death.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">A counter motion filed by her ex-husband\u2019s attorney says the couple\u2019s \u201csixteen year old child is now a suspect in the death of (Kepner) during the cruise.\u201d<\/p>\n<h5>Remembering Anna Kepner<\/h5>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">According to an obituary published last week by her family, Anna Kepner was a senior at Temple Christian School and planned to join the U.S. Navy after graduation and eventually become a police officer.<\/p>\n<p>More than 150 others reside in the Allan B. Polunsky unit in Livingston, awaiting news on appeals and execution dates.<\/p>\n<h6>Other News<\/h6>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"aspect-ratio:190 \/ 127\" class=\"dmnc_features-article-body-embeds-related-story-module__2UraD flex-none object-cover dmnc_images-modern-image-module__QFaG- max-w-full h-auto text-white dmnc_images-modern-image-module__9Zlll bg-gray-light object-contain dmnc_images-modern-image-module__P3kZ4 w-full\" width=\"190\" height=\"127\" src=\"https:\/\/dmn-dallas-news-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com\/resizer\/v2\/6PG6TLFSI5HWRITGIICLRB2JAY.jpg?auth=8128297b121fc722e8efe497015c23f19ea0077ce4940afb49674187a6a9a64f&#038;quality=80&#038;height=127&#038;width=190&#038;focal=1706,704\" alt=\"Body-worn camera footage released by the Texas Department of Public Safety shows law...\"\/><br \/>\n<span class=\"dmnc_features-article-body-embeds-subject-tag-list-with-images-list-with-images-module__HbkRM mr-2\">The Dallas County men \u2014 and woman \u2014 on Texas\u2019 death row <\/span><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio:190 \/ 127\" class=\"dmnc_features-article-body-embeds-subject-tag-list-with-images-list-with-images-module__6H-hI dmnc_images-modern-image-module__QFaG- max-w-full h-auto text-white dmnc_images-modern-image-module__9Zlll bg-gray-light object-contain\" width=\"190\" height=\"127\" src=\"https:\/\/dmn-dallas-news-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com\/resizer\/v2\/DLH4SHXZHNF6PC3KDXGG3QYP44.JPG?auth=26a6be85092e41bb150b08a7d0aaae028ce51a08466ebdd54be08a4f9d7d9c03&#038;quality=80&#038;height=127&#038;width=190&#038;smart=true\" alt=\"Around 10:32 p.m. Friday, Arlington police responded to a crash in the 5000 block of West...\"\/><br \/>\n<span class=\"dmnc_features-article-body-embeds-subject-tag-list-with-images-list-with-images-module__HbkRM mr-2\">Arlington police investigating gunfire report at businesses near The Parks Mall<\/span><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio:190 \/ 127\" class=\"dmnc_features-article-body-embeds-subject-tag-list-with-images-list-with-images-module__6H-hI dmnc_images-modern-image-module__QFaG- max-w-full h-auto text-white dmnc_images-modern-image-module__9Zlll bg-gray-light object-contain\" width=\"190\" height=\"127\" src=\"https:\/\/dmn-dallas-news-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com\/resizer\/v2\/CXYEU73ALBJFCTJJCWJPUJOLGQ.jpg?auth=d5747cda5738319b7aa74f40fd859515479bf9660ce4692b10c286c56a7a3c2f&#038;quality=80&#038;height=127&#038;width=190&#038;smart=true\" alt=\"Nature\u2019s Edge Wildlife and Reptile Rescue is caring for more than 70 roosters rescued from...\"\/><br \/>\n<span class=\"dmnc_features-article-body-embeds-subject-tag-list-with-images-list-with-images-module__HbkRM mr-2\">25 people in custody in North Texas after Thanksgiving raid on alleged cockfight<\/span><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio:190 \/ 127\" class=\"dmnc_features-article-body-embeds-subject-tag-list-with-images-list-with-images-module__6H-hI dmnc_images-modern-image-module__QFaG- max-w-full h-auto text-white dmnc_images-modern-image-module__9Zlll bg-gray-light object-contain\" width=\"190\" height=\"127\" src=\"https:\/\/dmn-dallas-news-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com\/resizer\/v2\/GWJ4U4RNTJCSLDEHHTTQSFXJU4.jpg?auth=d8a0124d6846101027a890fb19dd05b8392501a97b9826d50d31a6ec2229c18d&#038;quality=80&#038;height=127&#038;width=190&#038;smart=true\" alt=\"The D.C. Armory, where National Guard units are based, is seen a day after two National...\"\/><br \/>\n<span class=\"dmnc_features-article-body-embeds-subject-tag-list-with-images-list-with-images-module__HbkRM mr-2\">Suspect in shooting of National Guard members now facing a first-degree murder charge<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">The death of Anna Kepner is a tragic and shocking event that has left many questions unanswered. As the investigation continues,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tragedy on the High Seas: The Mysterious Death of Anna Kepner MIAMI \u2014 The grandmother of a young woman whose body was found underneath a bed on a Carnival cruise ship earlier this month said the FBI told the family the teen likely died from asphyxia. Barbara Kepner said on ABC News\u2019 Good Morning America [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":17696,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-17694","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-crime-reports"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/dmn-dallas-news-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com\/resizer\/v2\/W5BNYV53QVFYLN4TDQSSPQVJDU.jpg?auth=317eaed920188c8f12b7a8debac9db8df930c89b9978ed2d27f0db72696161b5&quality=80&width=1200&height=630&focal=2402,2111","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17694"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17694"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17694\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17697,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17694\/revisions\/17697"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17696"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17694"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17694"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17694"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}