Talk Gruesome To Me
The Talk Gruesome To Me podcast is where true crime, paranormal, and horror enthusiasts Amy and Dawn dig into movies and shows that make you say, "I’m not sleeping tonight." Because really, who doesn't like a little murder and mayhem? Follow us on all the socials at Talk Gruesome To Me… we promise, it’s not as creepy as it sounds. (Okay, maybe it is.)
You can show your support by subscribing and by shopping our merch here (link is under contributors):
https://talkgruesometome.square.site/
Talk Gruesome To Me
Ep41: Minisode: Anna Kepner
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Join Amy & Dawn as they take a closer look at the tragic and troubling cruise ship case of Anna Kepner, examining what happened and the questions that remain
1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:10,000
[Music]
2
00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:15,920
Hello and welcome to our podcast Talk Gruesome to Me, where we talk about movies and shows
3
00:00:15,920 --> 00:00:19,800
that cover true crime, paranormal, and horror.
4
00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:21,600
I am one of your hosts, Dawn.
5
00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:27,400
I am currently located in Los Angeles and I think I'm pretty well versed in the horror
6
00:00:27,400 --> 00:00:28,400
genre.
7
00:00:28,400 --> 00:00:31,000
Especially those 80s classics.
8
00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:36,720
A quick fun fact about me, I have a very extensive crystal collection.
9
00:00:36,720 --> 00:00:37,720
Hello, I'm Amy.
10
00:00:37,720 --> 00:00:42,280
I'm from Kentucky and my area of expertise for this podcast is paranormal.
11
00:00:42,280 --> 00:00:44,000
A few fun facts about me.
12
00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:45,000
I'm an empath.
13
00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:49,120
I collect old dolls and you know, I've never flown on an airplane.
14
00:00:49,120 --> 00:00:50,440
Can you believe that?
15
00:00:50,440 --> 00:00:54,920
Now Dawn and I are also obsessed with true crime, so here we are.
16
00:00:54,920 --> 00:00:57,840
Talk Gruesome to Me.
17
00:00:57,840 --> 00:01:01,600
Hello, we are here with another true crime episode.
18
00:01:01,600 --> 00:01:03,680
This one is very current.
19
00:01:03,680 --> 00:01:06,480
It just happened a few weeks back.
20
00:01:06,480 --> 00:01:11,440
We are going to do a little disclaimer that it is a true crime episode and we'll give
21
00:01:11,440 --> 00:01:15,600
a little more details about that disclaimer in a few minutes.
22
00:01:15,600 --> 00:01:18,640
Let's get into the story.
23
00:01:18,640 --> 00:01:27,040
On November 7th, 2025, very recent, an 18-year-old Florida cheerleader named Anna Kepner was
24
00:01:27,040 --> 00:01:31,400
found dead under a bed in her cruise ship cabin.
25
00:01:31,400 --> 00:01:39,000
She was on the boat, the Carnival Horizon and her body was found hidden beneath the mattress
26
00:01:39,000 --> 00:01:45,000
frame, wrapped in a blanket and covered with life vests.
27
00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:53,360
The medical examiner later ruled her death was homicide by mechanical asphyxiation.
28
00:01:53,360 --> 00:01:56,880
Staying in that same cabin were two boys.
29
00:01:56,880 --> 00:01:58,800
One was her 14-year-old brother.
30
00:01:58,800 --> 00:02:01,920
The other was her 16-year-old stepbrother.
31
00:02:01,920 --> 00:02:03,440
His name is Timothy Hudson.
32
00:02:03,440 --> 00:02:06,200
That's the only time we're going to reference his name.
33
00:02:06,200 --> 00:02:11,360
That is out in the public, but because he's a minor, we don't want to keep repeating it.
34
00:02:11,360 --> 00:02:13,080
We aren't going to say that again.
35
00:02:13,080 --> 00:02:22,520
Court filings and recent hearings now describe the stepbrother as a suspect in her death.
36
00:02:22,520 --> 00:02:29,200
And he has been sent to live with relatives outside of the house while the FBI decides whether
37
00:02:29,200 --> 00:02:33,640
to bring state or federal charges or any charges.
38
00:02:33,640 --> 00:02:40,060
In a few minutes, we'll walk through what we know about Anna's life, the timeline of the
39
00:02:40,060 --> 00:02:44,120
cruise, and where the case stands right now.
40
00:02:44,120 --> 00:02:46,600
I do have a little snippet to play.
41
00:02:46,600 --> 00:02:50,480
It's from a YouTube video from Law and Crime.
42
00:02:50,480 --> 00:02:58,320
It is Anna Kepner's stepmom, her name is Shantel, and she's kind of describing where they
43
00:02:58,320 --> 00:03:01,560
were, the sleeping arrangements and whatnot.
44
00:03:01,560 --> 00:03:05,440
So we'll just play that really quick for a couple of minutes for you.
45
00:03:05,440 --> 00:03:10,560
As far as the minor children, what were the sleeping arrangements on this cruise?
46
00:03:10,560 --> 00:03:18,880
In my room with my husband and his nine-year-old daughter, and then shared a room with his
47
00:03:18,880 --> 00:03:22,040
Step sister and step brother.
48
00:03:22,040 --> 00:03:24,800
The room was directly crossed from ours.
49
00:03:24,800 --> 00:03:26,640
What was the stepson's name?
50
00:03:26,640 --> 00:03:27,640
Anna Kepner.
51
00:03:27,640 --> 00:03:32,120
And what was the stepbrother's name?
52
00:03:32,120 --> 00:03:33,120
And how old is...
53
00:03:33,120 --> 00:03:34,120
14.
54
00:03:34,120 --> 00:03:38,120
And how old was Anna?
55
00:03:38,120 --> 00:03:39,120
18.
56
00:03:39,120 --> 00:03:48,080
Now, who made the decision to have these three teenagers in one room in the cruise?
57
00:03:48,080 --> 00:03:51,600
We had talked it over with our travel agent, and that was what was suggested.
58
00:03:51,600 --> 00:03:59,520
Did you have to sign any special permission for the children to reside together?
59
00:03:59,520 --> 00:04:05,720
So, was it a mutual decision between yourself and your husband?
60
00:04:05,720 --> 00:04:06,720
Correct.
61
00:04:06,720 --> 00:04:18,120
And at some point did you discover that one of the children had passed away?
62
00:04:18,120 --> 00:04:19,120
Yes.
63
00:04:19,120 --> 00:04:22,160
And when was that that you discovered that?
64
00:04:22,160 --> 00:04:29,680
Friday morning.
65
00:04:29,680 --> 00:04:33,000
When was the last time that you had seen the child before that Friday morning?
66
00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:34,000
Thursday night.
67
00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:39,120
I want to say, also, if you want to watch the whole thing at 17 minutes, you can find it
68
00:04:39,120 --> 00:04:40,720
Law and Crime.
69
00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:45,640
But I want to say you'll hear a couple of times there were redacted names.
70
00:04:45,640 --> 00:04:51,200
Those were the minor children, so they don't want to say those out loud on the internet.
71
00:04:51,200 --> 00:04:54,200
And that's totally understandable.
72
00:04:54,200 --> 00:04:57,440
Now this case is not solved.
73
00:04:57,440 --> 00:05:00,560
No one has been charged with Anna's murder.
74
00:05:00,560 --> 00:05:07,120
The 16-year-old will talk about he's a minor and is presumed innocent unless the court says
75
00:05:07,120 --> 00:05:08,440
otherwise.
76
00:05:08,440 --> 00:05:15,040
Our goal is to lay out what's been reported and make it as factual as possible.
77
00:05:15,040 --> 00:05:16,600
Here's our concept warning.
78
00:05:16,600 --> 00:05:21,000
So this episode involves the death of a teenager.
79
00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:25,800
And we'll talk about some details about her death and how her body was found.
80
00:05:25,800 --> 00:05:32,360
And we're also basing this episode on reporting from news outlets and then details revealed
81
00:05:32,360 --> 00:05:36,760
in family court docs that have been summarized in the press.
82
00:05:36,760 --> 00:05:40,800
So we try to keep things as factual as possible here.
83
00:05:40,800 --> 00:05:48,440
Yeah, and both of us think that the best place to start is who was Anna as a person.
84
00:05:48,440 --> 00:05:53,520
Anna Keppner was 18 years old and she is from Titusville, Florida.
85
00:05:53,520 --> 00:05:55,920
She was a high-achieving student.
86
00:05:55,920 --> 00:05:59,200
Her family described her as straight-a kid.
87
00:05:59,200 --> 00:06:04,720
She was happy, bubbly, someone who lit up a room and made people laugh.
88
00:06:04,720 --> 00:06:07,760
She'd been a gymnast from the age of two.
89
00:06:07,760 --> 00:06:14,040
And by her senior year, she was on the varsity cheerleading squad at Temple Christian School.
90
00:06:14,040 --> 00:06:18,240
She'd recently transferred there for her final year of high school.
91
00:06:18,240 --> 00:06:22,480
And she had so much, so much more life ahead of her.
92
00:06:22,480 --> 00:06:24,600
And she wasn't just athletic.
93
00:06:24,600 --> 00:06:26,960
She was also outdoorsy.
94
00:06:26,960 --> 00:06:33,200
She had a boaters license and she had a scuba certification.
95
00:06:33,200 --> 00:06:39,640
She apparently loved being on the water, which makes the setting of this story because it's
96
00:06:39,640 --> 00:06:45,120
a cruise, especially, I don't know, odd and heartbreaking.
97
00:06:45,120 --> 00:06:50,800
Her family also has talked about how she wanted to join the military after graduation.
98
00:06:50,800 --> 00:06:56,120
She had already taken the entrance test and she had started talking with recruiters and
99
00:06:56,120 --> 00:07:00,920
was planning a career that would help her to serve her community.
100
00:07:00,920 --> 00:07:08,760
All the people who described her and they knew her and they said she was kind and compassionate.
101
00:07:08,760 --> 00:07:13,280
She volunteered in her grandparents over 55 community.
102
00:07:13,280 --> 00:07:16,600
She helped out with local businesses in town.
103
00:07:16,600 --> 00:07:23,400
She worked at an aquarium supply store and colleagues there said that there wouldn't be a day that
104
00:07:23,400 --> 00:07:25,680
they didn't think of her.
105
00:07:25,680 --> 00:07:30,520
Her grandmother, she called her Anna Banana, that's so cute.
106
00:07:30,520 --> 00:07:36,520
And teachers remembered her poking her head into their offices just a chat, turning a quick
107
00:07:36,520 --> 00:07:41,240
hello into a 15 minute conversation.
108
00:07:41,240 --> 00:07:46,560
And that really just speaks on her character because when you're that age, most students
109
00:07:46,560 --> 00:07:50,800
they could care less about the teachers or what they have to say.
110
00:07:50,800 --> 00:07:57,800
And when we talk about a homicide, we're talking about cutting off this young girl's entire
111
00:07:57,800 --> 00:08:06,800
future, her military plans, her friendships, her senior year, everything, just all in that
112
00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:09,160
one night on this ship.
113
00:08:09,160 --> 00:08:14,560
Again, early November, 2025, she went on a family cruise.
114
00:08:14,560 --> 00:08:20,960
She was on the Carnival Horizon, which was a six-night Caribbean itinerary and that left
115
00:08:20,960 --> 00:08:23,440
out of Miami.
116
00:08:23,440 --> 00:08:30,560
Now I want to say this, her family tree, if you will, is quite complicated.
117
00:08:30,560 --> 00:08:38,840
We did our best to try and make sure that we're getting all of these family members, the adults,
118
00:08:38,840 --> 00:08:45,360
and their relationship with Anna and the relationships with each other, correct.
119
00:08:45,360 --> 00:08:52,280
I really hope that we aren't going to say anything wrong, but I did try to find an actual
120
00:08:52,280 --> 00:08:55,600
family tree, which I could not find.
121
00:08:55,600 --> 00:08:59,920
So I'm crossing my fingers that this is all accurate.
122
00:08:59,920 --> 00:09:03,840
But onboard was her blended family.
123
00:09:03,840 --> 00:09:09,440
It was her father, her stepmother, siblings, and grandparents.
124
00:09:09,440 --> 00:09:11,960
So this was not a small group of people.
125
00:09:11,960 --> 00:09:16,720
Again, there's a lot of complicated family structure.
126
00:09:16,720 --> 00:09:22,320
There's also a custody battle that we're going to get into as well coming up.
127
00:09:22,320 --> 00:09:25,920
So complicated family dynamics.
128
00:09:25,920 --> 00:09:26,920
Most certainly.
129
00:09:26,920 --> 00:09:31,160
Again, Anna, she was sharing a cabin with her two brothers.
130
00:09:31,160 --> 00:09:36,920
Her 14 year old biological brother and her 16 year old stepbrother.
131
00:09:36,920 --> 00:09:41,560
Court filings and news coverage say that the three teens wanted to share a room together
132
00:09:41,560 --> 00:09:44,120
and were considered very close.
133
00:09:44,120 --> 00:09:48,920
Anna's stepmom has said that they were, they were like best friends.
134
00:09:48,920 --> 00:09:54,440
This was not the case where at least on the surface people were forcing a girl to
135
00:09:54,440 --> 00:09:58,560
bunk with someone that she didn't trust or didn't want to.
136
00:09:58,560 --> 00:10:03,360
Only the story from the adults is that these kids were bonded.
137
00:10:03,360 --> 00:10:07,880
They were close and they chose to room together.
138
00:10:07,880 --> 00:10:13,000
Then fast forward to the night before Anna's body was discovered.
139
00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:15,920
They had been on the cruise already for several days.
140
00:10:15,920 --> 00:10:22,200
And according to testimony later shared in court, the family had dinner that night.
141
00:10:22,200 --> 00:10:27,600
Anna reportedly told relatives that she did not feel well and she left dinner early to
142
00:10:27,600 --> 00:10:30,280
go back to her cabin.
143
00:10:30,280 --> 00:10:36,240
Surveillance footage, as described in the media, shows Anna returning to her room after spending
144
00:10:36,240 --> 00:10:38,960
time with her grandparents.
145
00:10:38,960 --> 00:10:43,320
And then that was the last time that anyone had seen her alive on camera.
146
00:10:43,320 --> 00:10:48,360
Her stepmother testified later that she didn't check on Anna that night after dinner.
147
00:10:48,360 --> 00:10:53,080
She just assumed that Anna had went to her cabin and had gone to sleep.
148
00:10:53,080 --> 00:11:01,440
The three teens were in the cabin, so what happened in those hours is the mystery of this case.
149
00:11:01,440 --> 00:11:08,280
Sometime during the late night and early morning hours, Anna was in their cabin with those
150
00:11:08,280 --> 00:11:09,840
two boys.
151
00:11:09,840 --> 00:11:15,000
Court records in interviews say that the 16 year old stepmother was the only person in the
152
00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:18,320
cabin with her at certain points.
153
00:11:18,320 --> 00:11:25,320
So her younger brother, the 14 year old biological brother, must have come and gone out of their
154
00:11:25,320 --> 00:11:26,640
cabin.
155
00:11:26,640 --> 00:11:33,800
And her father has publicly stated that in his view, the stepmother was the only one in
156
00:11:33,800 --> 00:11:37,040
the room when she was last known to be alive.
157
00:11:37,040 --> 00:11:39,760
There's also disturbing detail.
158
00:11:39,760 --> 00:11:46,040
This is not court documented, but there's a disturbing detail from Anna's ex-boyfriend.
159
00:11:46,040 --> 00:11:53,160
In an interview discussed with the news, he says that during a 3am FaceTime call, after
160
00:11:53,160 --> 00:12:00,360
Anna had fallen asleep, he saw the stepbrother climb on top of her on the bed.
161
00:12:00,360 --> 00:12:06,000
He didn't understand at the time what he was seeing in the moment and then connected it
162
00:12:06,000 --> 00:12:09,080
later after she had passed away.
163
00:12:09,080 --> 00:12:11,960
That's where we have to be really careful, though.
164
00:12:11,960 --> 00:12:15,680
That's one person's account relayed through media.
165
00:12:15,680 --> 00:12:22,040
It's important, but we gotta remember it's not sworn trial testimony in this criminal
166
00:12:22,040 --> 00:12:23,200
case.
167
00:12:23,200 --> 00:12:28,280
Still investigators and the family are clearly paying attention to it, though.
168
00:12:28,280 --> 00:12:33,640
The next morning, the family planned to meet for breakfast.
169
00:12:33,640 --> 00:12:35,800
Anna obviously didn't show up.
170
00:12:35,800 --> 00:12:41,840
And at first, they thought that she was sleeping because she had said the night before that
171
00:12:41,840 --> 00:12:46,160
she wasn't feeling well.
172
00:12:46,160 --> 00:12:52,120
She wasn't seen by family for roughly 17 hours leading up to the discovery of her body,
173
00:12:52,120 --> 00:12:54,920
which was kind of part of that clip that I played.
174
00:12:54,920 --> 00:13:02,280
When Housekeeping staff eventually entered the cabin room late morning, they made this horrific
175
00:13:02,280 --> 00:13:03,800
discovery.
176
00:13:03,800 --> 00:13:06,520
Under one of the beds, they found Anna's body.
177
00:13:06,520 --> 00:13:10,360
She was wrapped in a blanket and covered with lifevests.
178
00:13:10,360 --> 00:13:16,000
Yeah, and she wasn't just lying there on the floor.
179
00:13:16,000 --> 00:13:19,880
Someone had actually hid her there.
180
00:13:19,880 --> 00:13:21,380
Exactly.
181
00:13:21,380 --> 00:13:28,200
And this is one of the points that led investigators to treat her death as suspicious from the beginning.
182
00:13:28,200 --> 00:13:35,400
You don't accidentally end up under a bed wrapped in covered with lifevests.
183
00:13:35,400 --> 00:13:41,440
And then at that point, the ship alerted authorities and the FBI was waiting when the boat docked
184
00:13:41,440 --> 00:13:43,120
in Miami.
185
00:13:43,120 --> 00:13:48,760
For a little while, all the public really knew was that Anna had died on the cruise and
186
00:13:48,760 --> 00:13:52,240
that the FBI was investigating it.
187
00:13:52,240 --> 00:13:54,880
Then later in November, that's not.
188
00:13:54,880 --> 00:13:57,760
We’re into December, November.
189
00:13:57,760 --> 00:14:03,440
Just recent, the medical examiner's findings became public and Anna's death was then
190
00:14:03,440 --> 00:14:05,320
ruled a homicide.
191
00:14:05,320 --> 00:14:08,760
Her cause of death, mechanical asphyxiation.
192
00:14:08,760 --> 00:14:12,480
So that can be things like strangulation.
193
00:14:12,480 --> 00:14:18,480
It can be some kind of pressure on the neck that cuts off the airflow or the blood flow.
194
00:14:18,480 --> 00:14:23,920
According to Anna's family, the FBI told them that it could have been caused by something
195
00:14:23,920 --> 00:14:31,360
called a bar hold, which is basically where there's an arm across someone's neck.
196
00:14:31,360 --> 00:14:35,640
And there were also bruises on her neck consistent with that type of force.
197
00:14:35,640 --> 00:14:38,960
Okay, so she's found under a bed.
198
00:14:38,960 --> 00:14:40,280
She's wrapped up.
199
00:14:40,280 --> 00:14:41,440
She's hidden.
200
00:14:41,440 --> 00:14:44,520
The cause of death, it's not an overdose.
201
00:14:44,520 --> 00:14:46,000
She didn't fall.
202
00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:49,560
And obviously there wasn't some sort of medical event.
203
00:14:49,560 --> 00:14:52,520
Like you said, she couldn't have done this to herself.
204
00:14:52,520 --> 00:14:54,400
It's homicide.
205
00:14:54,400 --> 00:15:00,480
That started a huge shift in the public understanding of this case.
206
00:15:00,480 --> 00:15:06,840
And what is really going on with it, they just had no clue.
207
00:15:06,840 --> 00:15:12,840
And at that point, the attention turned to the question, who could have done this?
208
00:15:12,840 --> 00:15:16,440
You know, they're in a locked environment on a cruise ship.
209
00:15:16,440 --> 00:15:21,760
Yeah, and you know, the whole, everybody that knew them had to be shocked.
210
00:15:21,760 --> 00:15:24,960
But this is where the stepbrother comes in.
211
00:15:24,960 --> 00:15:29,640
Investigators were always going to look hard at the people that are closest to Anna in
212
00:15:29,640 --> 00:15:31,280
time and space.
213
00:15:31,280 --> 00:15:34,400
The people she was with in the cabin that night.
214
00:15:34,400 --> 00:15:40,920
And court filings and separate family court case later revealed that the 16 year old stepbrother
215
00:15:40,920 --> 00:15:45,000
had become the focus of the criminal investigation.
216
00:15:45,000 --> 00:15:49,120
And those filings they refer to him by initials.
217
00:15:49,120 --> 00:15:55,480
And there they describe him as a suspect in an FBI investigation in Anna's death.
218
00:15:55,480 --> 00:16:03,080
And more recently, a Florida judge and a custody hearing explicitly referred to him as a suspect
219
00:16:03,080 --> 00:16:05,680
in Anna's killing.
220
00:16:05,680 --> 00:16:11,800
Magazines, they've also reported that the court record show he became the subject of a criminal
221
00:16:11,800 --> 00:16:15,600
investigation shortly after Anna's death.
222
00:16:15,600 --> 00:16:22,600
We also know that there are serious concerns about what was going on with them at the time
223
00:16:22,600 --> 00:16:24,120
of this cruise.
224
00:16:24,120 --> 00:16:32,680
There's reports that he had prescriptions for ADHD and also insomnia, but that he didn't
225
00:16:32,680 --> 00:16:35,600
bring them with him for the trip.
226
00:16:35,600 --> 00:16:43,240
Some accounts describe his behavior as increasingly erratic or even maybe troubling.
227
00:16:43,240 --> 00:16:48,920
There are also claims surfaced in coverage quoting family Anna’s family says that he'd had
228
00:16:48,920 --> 00:16:54,440
an unhealthy or obsessive fixation on Anna.
229
00:16:54,440 --> 00:16:59,040
But again, I do want to say this loud and clear.
230
00:16:59,040 --> 00:17:04,240
Those are allegations made by others and not proven in court.
231
00:17:04,240 --> 00:17:07,800
Anna's father has been vocal.
232
00:17:07,800 --> 00:17:13,000
In interviews, he has said that he believes his stepson was the only person in the cabin
233
00:17:13,000 --> 00:17:16,200
with her when she was last seen alive.
234
00:17:16,200 --> 00:17:22,040
And he's made some chilling statements about what he thinks should happen if the stepbrother
235
00:17:22,040 --> 00:17:24,560
is found responsible.
236
00:17:24,560 --> 00:17:30,520
At the same time, Anna's stepmother has said that Anna and the stepbrother were extremely
237
00:17:30,520 --> 00:17:36,880
close and like you said, like best friends, and that the three teens themselves requested
238
00:17:36,880 --> 00:17:39,600
to share that room on the cruise.
239
00:17:39,600 --> 00:17:48,040
So you have parents and relatives who are maybe not sounding all on the same page about what
240
00:17:48,040 --> 00:17:53,360
this boy is like or what he may or may not have done.
241
00:17:53,360 --> 00:17:59,720
Yeah, and if you're wondering how we know so much about the stepbrother status, it isn't
242
00:17:59,720 --> 00:18:01,480
because of the criminal trial.
243
00:18:01,480 --> 00:18:03,200
There isn't one yet.
244
00:18:03,200 --> 00:18:09,200
But it's actually because of a separate, very messy custody case.
245
00:18:09,200 --> 00:18:15,840
After Anna's death, Timothy Hudson went to family court and he asked for emergency custody
246
00:18:15,840 --> 00:18:20,400
of his younger daughter he shares with Anna's stepmother, Shantel.
247
00:18:20,400 --> 00:18:25,720
He was saying that he was concerned about the safety of the other children in the household.
248
00:18:25,720 --> 00:18:28,320
And I mean, I get that.
249
00:18:28,320 --> 00:18:33,280
He also argued that he hadn't been allowed to see his daughter for over a year and that
250
00:18:33,280 --> 00:18:39,040
his ex had taken the children on this cruise and they did not have his permission.
251
00:18:39,040 --> 00:18:45,800
And then on the other side, Anna's stepmom, Shantel and her current husband Anna's father,
252
00:18:45,800 --> 00:18:53,400
Christopher, they were fighting to keep custody of the younger child and keep details of this
253
00:18:53,400 --> 00:18:57,040
criminal investigation from being made public.
254
00:18:57,040 --> 00:19:01,360
So they're trying to keep all of these details quiet.
255
00:19:01,360 --> 00:19:08,200
She requested a gag order in a family court to prevent parties from talking to the press
256
00:19:08,200 --> 00:19:11,240
and to keep certain filing sealed.
257
00:19:11,240 --> 00:19:16,360
But that's why these hearings are so crucial, these custody hearings, lawyers are openly
258
00:19:16,360 --> 00:19:21,080
discussing the fact that the 16 year old is a suspect.
259
00:19:21,080 --> 00:19:27,520
They're talking about what law enforcement's doing and where the 16 year old is now living
260
00:19:27,520 --> 00:19:30,680
all in the context of is this younger child safe.
261
00:19:30,680 --> 00:19:39,840
I also want to say that the father and the stepmom were able to keep that custody because
262
00:19:39,840 --> 00:19:43,720
of the fact that this 16 year old was taken out of the house.
263
00:19:43,720 --> 00:19:44,720
That makes sense.
264
00:19:44,720 --> 00:19:48,120
I mean, there's no risk now.
265
00:19:48,120 --> 00:19:53,200
And that's where we get one of the biggest developments about where the stepbrother
266
00:19:53,200 --> 00:19:54,200
is today.
267
00:19:54,200 --> 00:19:57,200
We know that he's been sent to live with relatives.
268
00:19:57,200 --> 00:20:01,640
Anna's stepmother's attorney told the court that Anna's parents moved him out of the home
269
00:20:01,640 --> 00:20:03,720
after the homicide ruling.
270
00:20:03,720 --> 00:20:09,040
And that was because they didn't want to put other children at risk while the investigation
271
00:20:09,040 --> 00:20:10,360
continued.
272
00:20:10,360 --> 00:20:16,080
Court records say his location is being kept confidential and is only known to the parents
273
00:20:16,080 --> 00:20:17,320
and law enforcement.
274
00:20:17,320 --> 00:20:21,520
I did see an article that said where he is.
275
00:20:21,520 --> 00:20:26,560
We are not going to say that because that's not ethical.
276
00:20:26,560 --> 00:20:30,840
But unfortunately that information has leaked out.
277
00:20:30,840 --> 00:20:37,560
And then in one hearing, the judge acknowledged that the teen is considered a suspect, but ultimately
278
00:20:37,560 --> 00:20:42,080
ruled, like I said, that the youngest child, the girl is not in immediate danger living
279
00:20:42,080 --> 00:20:43,640
with her father and stepmother.
280
00:20:43,640 --> 00:20:46,760
So the judge did not remove that child.
281
00:20:46,760 --> 00:20:54,320
Meanwhile, Anna's stepmother is in a form of protective exile, if you will, with relatives
282
00:20:54,320 --> 00:21:01,960
and under a power of attorney arrangement as everyone waits to see what the FBI and the
283
00:21:01,960 --> 00:21:04,440
prosecutors are going to do.
284
00:21:04,440 --> 00:21:10,200
So where are things right now as of early December 2025?
285
00:21:10,200 --> 00:21:16,800
No one has been arrested or charged in her death that FBI through its Miami office is leading
286
00:21:16,800 --> 00:21:23,320
the investigation because this was a US citizen on a cruise in international waters.
287
00:21:23,320 --> 00:21:27,480
The agency has declined to publicly name any suspects.
288
00:21:27,480 --> 00:21:34,640
And despite that official silence, multiple court filings and hearings in state family court
289
00:21:34,640 --> 00:21:43,600
identify Anna's 16 year old stepmother as a suspect and as the subject of an FBI investigation,
290
00:21:43,600 --> 00:21:49,680
both his mother and his father have referred to him that way in documents and in testimony
291
00:21:49,680 --> 00:21:50,680
as well.
292
00:21:50,680 --> 00:21:56,600
And the prosecutors are still deciding what if any criminal charges they might bring.
293
00:21:56,600 --> 00:22:01,880
The stepmother's attorney has publicly said the FBI is way in weather to pursue federal
294
00:22:01,880 --> 00:22:08,400
charges because of the special marine time jurisdiction on the cruise ship or to hand
295
00:22:08,400 --> 00:22:11,480
the case off to the authorities in Florida.
296
00:22:11,480 --> 00:22:18,200
Toxicology reports and psychological evaluations are reportedly pending and those could influence
297
00:22:18,200 --> 00:22:22,640
how investigators interpret what happened in that cabin.
298
00:22:22,640 --> 00:22:26,280
The custody case is also still ongoing.
299
00:22:26,280 --> 00:22:33,120
There are future hearings scheduled where Anna's mother, stepmother and the father are all
300
00:22:33,120 --> 00:22:40,040
going to keep battling over the remaining children and over what information can be made public.
301
00:22:40,040 --> 00:22:47,080
Well and how to navigate this whole possible homicide within their family.
302
00:22:47,080 --> 00:22:52,040
One of the most heartbreaking things in this story is the emotional tug of war inside
303
00:22:52,040 --> 00:22:56,040
this family.
304
00:22:56,040 --> 00:23:02,080
Anna's father and some relatives who are openly suspicious of the stepbrother, they point
305
00:23:02,080 --> 00:23:08,480
to the fact that he was in the cabin that Anna was hidden, that the cause of death was a
306
00:23:08,480 --> 00:23:16,240
homicide and to some allegedly disturbing behavior of his that he has had in the past.
307
00:23:16,240 --> 00:23:22,960
Now on the other side you have Anna's stepmother, she has said she believed the three teens were best
308
00:23:22,960 --> 00:23:30,480
friends that she still loves her son even while at knowing and aknowledging he is under investigation.
309
00:23:30,480 --> 00:23:37,320
She's trying to keep custody of her other child while she's also navigating the possibility
310
00:23:37,320 --> 00:23:42,720
that her teenage son could be charged with murdering his step sister.
311
00:23:42,720 --> 00:23:44,920
That is a lot.
312
00:23:44,920 --> 00:23:50,960
And there's the stepbrothers biological father who has told reporters that he never gave
313
00:23:50,960 --> 00:23:57,080
permission for his son to go on this cruise and he's also publicly grappling with the idea
314
00:23:57,080 --> 00:24:02,600
that his child is a suspect in a homicide case.
315
00:24:02,600 --> 00:24:08,320
According to reporting, he has also raised concerns about his son's mental health and
316
00:24:08,320 --> 00:24:11,520
the lack of medication during the trip.
317
00:24:11,520 --> 00:24:21,120
Just imagine these family dinner tables currently, two parents who once shared a child our split,
318
00:24:21,120 --> 00:24:24,640
expouses or fighting in court.
319
00:24:24,640 --> 00:24:32,640
There's a deceased teenage girl and a surviving teenage boy under suspicion and this is all
320
00:24:32,640 --> 00:24:35,240
playing out in public.
321
00:24:35,240 --> 00:24:38,880
It's a nightmare on top of a nightmare.
322
00:24:38,880 --> 00:24:39,880
It's horrible.
323
00:24:39,880 --> 00:24:40,880
I can't imagine.
324
00:24:40,880 --> 00:24:46,840
Well, let's talk about why this might be moving more slowly than people expect because I know
325
00:24:46,840 --> 00:24:53,400
a lot of listeners are probably thinking, hey, she was found under a bed hidden with a homicide
326
00:24:53,400 --> 00:24:56,600
ruling why hasn't someone been arrested.
327
00:24:56,600 --> 00:25:03,720
Crimes on cruise ships, especially in international waters, are legally complicated.
328
00:25:03,720 --> 00:25:10,160
The FBI often gets jurisdiction under what's called special maritime jurisdiction, but they're
329
00:25:10,160 --> 00:25:13,280
dealing with a moving crime scene.
330
00:25:13,280 --> 00:25:18,080
There's a limited window to collect this evidence before the ship turns around rebords
331
00:25:18,080 --> 00:25:25,000
with new passengers and then there's a mix of US and foreign laws.
332
00:25:25,000 --> 00:25:31,920
You've also got forensic work on the body and the cabin, digital evidence that would be
333
00:25:31,920 --> 00:25:36,160
phones, texts, face-time logs, social media.
334
00:25:36,160 --> 00:25:41,600
You have witness interviews with passengers and crew who might already be back home and
335
00:25:41,600 --> 00:25:44,080
no telling and where that is.
336
00:25:44,080 --> 00:25:50,840
And you also in this case have questions about the suspect who's 16 with potential mental
337
00:25:50,840 --> 00:25:57,240
health and medication issues, which that might lead to evaluations and reports before
338
00:25:57,240 --> 00:25:59,480
charges are filed.
339
00:25:59,480 --> 00:26:04,400
On top of that, prosecutors have decisions to make.
340
00:26:04,400 --> 00:26:09,320
Do they charge him in federal court under maritime jurisdiction, like we said?
341
00:26:09,320 --> 00:26:14,120
Do they refer this case to the state prosecutors in Florida?
342
00:26:14,120 --> 00:26:21,720
Do they treat him as a juvenile or do they want to try him as an adult because of the severity
343
00:26:21,720 --> 00:26:24,280
of this alleged crime?
344
00:26:24,280 --> 00:26:30,040
According to the stepmother's attorney, that's exactly what the FBI and prosecutors are
345
00:26:30,040 --> 00:26:40,040
weighing right now.
346
00:26:40,040 --> 00:26:42,800
They want a case that can survive in court, not just based off of suspicion and outrage.
347
00:26:42,800 --> 00:26:45,720
We need to say this clearly as well.
348
00:26:45,720 --> 00:26:50,720
There is a lot of speculation online about what happened to Anna.
349
00:26:50,720 --> 00:26:56,640
There are Reddit threads, TikToks and keyboard detectives pointing fingers.
350
00:26:56,640 --> 00:27:01,880
Some of that is based on real reporting and let's just be real,
351
00:27:01,880 --> 00:27:05,880
some of it is rumor and just pure theory.
352
00:27:05,880 --> 00:27:12,080
But when you strip all that away and ask what do we actually know, this is what it boils
353
00:27:12,080 --> 00:27:13,400
down to.
354
00:27:13,400 --> 00:27:18,480
Anna was alive in a good condition enough to be at dinner the night before.
355
00:27:18,480 --> 00:27:23,120
She told her family she felt unwell then she went back to the cabin.
356
00:27:23,120 --> 00:27:29,160
She was rooming with her younger brother and stepbrother who supposedly they wanted to
357
00:27:29,160 --> 00:27:30,920
all share the cabin.
358
00:27:30,920 --> 00:27:33,400
She wasn't seen for many hours.
359
00:27:33,400 --> 00:27:36,000
She was then found under the bed.
360
00:27:36,000 --> 00:27:43,160
She was wrapped and covered and the medical examiner said she died by homicide via some form
361
00:27:43,160 --> 00:27:47,040
of choking that still to be looked into more.
362
00:27:47,040 --> 00:27:52,800
Now court followings and hearings now publicly label her 16 year old stepbrother as a
363
00:27:52,800 --> 00:27:57,880
suspect and the focus of the FBI investigation.
364
00:27:57,880 --> 00:28:04,720
He's been moved to live with relatives and prosecutors haven't yet decided on charges.
365
00:28:04,720 --> 00:28:10,160
Everything beyond that the exact sequence of events in that room, the intent, whether
366
00:28:10,160 --> 00:28:17,080
there was a struggle, sexual motive or even something else to that point, we don't know
367
00:28:17,080 --> 00:28:19,240
it's unknown to the public.
368
00:28:19,240 --> 00:28:26,120
Yeah, we just don't know a ton, but I will say spreading false information so it's not
369
00:28:26,120 --> 00:28:27,120
good.
370
00:28:27,120 --> 00:28:28,560
That can hurt families.
371
00:28:28,560 --> 00:28:35,040
It can poison potential juries and it can even make it harder for the prosecutors to
372
00:28:35,040 --> 00:28:36,240
do their jobs.
373
00:28:36,240 --> 00:28:38,040
It can completely ruin the case.
374
00:28:38,040 --> 00:28:42,760
I mean, yeah, it's very important that if you are going to speak about it, try to just
375
00:28:42,760 --> 00:28:45,800
try to be as real and true as you can.
376
00:28:45,800 --> 00:28:50,440
But what would justice look like in a case like this?
377
00:28:50,440 --> 00:28:57,000
One possibility is that the FBI finishes its investigation and gets all the lab results.
378
00:28:57,000 --> 00:29:02,600
They decide there's enough evidence to charge and a stepbrother with homicide and maybe
379
00:29:02,600 --> 00:29:10,200
in federal court, maybe in state court, if that happens, we'll see a painful and it's
380
00:29:10,200 --> 00:29:15,680
going to be a highly public process where the family has to relive everything in front
381
00:29:15,680 --> 00:29:18,080
of a judge and jury.
382
00:29:18,080 --> 00:29:23,520
Another possibility is that prosecutors decide they don't have enough to prove a case beyond
383
00:29:23,520 --> 00:29:25,200
a reasonable doubt.
384
00:29:25,200 --> 00:29:27,520
At least that's not right now.
385
00:29:27,520 --> 00:29:34,200
That's a different kind of nightmare where Anna's death remains technically unresolved,
386
00:29:34,200 --> 00:29:39,760
even if people in the family believe they know who's responsible.
387
00:29:39,760 --> 00:29:42,680
It's just not final in the court.
388
00:29:42,680 --> 00:29:49,840
There's also a narrow, more complicated set of possibilities, things like a plea to a lesser
389
00:29:49,840 --> 00:30:00,120
charge, a juvenile poor disposition that's mostly seated, or some hybrid resolution that
390
00:30:00,120 --> 00:30:06,520
tries to account for the stepbrother's age and mental health if those factors are significant.
391
00:30:06,520 --> 00:30:12,880
We just don't know yet and anyone who tells you that they know how this is going to end
392
00:30:12,880 --> 00:30:13,880
or what happened.
393
00:30:13,880 --> 00:30:15,520
They're just guessing.
394
00:30:15,520 --> 00:30:16,520
Absolutely.
395
00:30:16,520 --> 00:30:21,440
But before we close, I want to go ahead and circle back to Anna.
396
00:30:21,440 --> 00:30:28,040
It's really easy in true crime to get wrapped up in suspects and court cases and forensic
397
00:30:28,040 --> 00:30:29,520
details.
398
00:30:29,520 --> 00:30:33,200
But at the center of all this was a teenage girl.
399
00:30:33,200 --> 00:30:37,840
A few weeks before the cruise, she was posting her normal senior stuff.
400
00:30:37,840 --> 00:30:39,400
She was hanging out with friends.
401
00:30:39,400 --> 00:30:45,040
She was working, making plans to serve in the military and just happy, excited, and talking
402
00:30:45,040 --> 00:30:46,520
about her future.
403
00:30:46,520 --> 00:30:52,760
Her classmates, they decorated her parking spot at school with flowers and notes that teachers
404
00:30:52,760 --> 00:30:58,960
wrote long heartfelt post and just talked about how much they'd miss her popping into
405
00:30:58,960 --> 00:31:00,440
their offices.
406
00:31:00,440 --> 00:31:07,840
Her family talks about her laughter, her sense of humor, the way she could pull people out
407
00:31:07,840 --> 00:31:09,000
of a bad mood.
408
00:31:09,000 --> 00:31:14,120
She just really, she sounds like an amazing individual.
409
00:31:14,120 --> 00:31:15,720
I agree.
410
00:31:15,720 --> 00:31:22,640
And for them where this case stands, that's not just about legal strategy.
411
00:31:22,640 --> 00:31:30,240
It's about whether the story they tell themselves about Anna's last night has an ending, whether
412
00:31:30,240 --> 00:31:36,640
someone is held accountable, whether there's a record of someone that says, "This is what
413
00:31:36,640 --> 00:31:41,680
happened to her and it mattered enough for us to name it."
414
00:31:41,680 --> 00:31:42,680
Absolutely.
415
00:31:42,680 --> 00:31:48,280
This is a, I hate ones where we just don't know.
416
00:31:48,280 --> 00:31:56,040
Yeah, because we could sit here all, or the rest of the night and discuss what we think
417
00:31:56,040 --> 00:31:57,880
could have happened.
418
00:31:57,880 --> 00:32:02,400
And there's only a couple of people, so I do hope that they get to the bottom of what
419
00:32:02,400 --> 00:32:06,120
happened to her who was responsible.
420
00:32:06,120 --> 00:32:13,840
And even though I don't believe in justice, that you can make this better for the family
421
00:32:13,840 --> 00:32:22,160
or closure, maybe they can just have a little bit extra comfort in knowing that some part
422
00:32:22,160 --> 00:32:29,280
of Anna does have a little bit of justice where somebody is actually paying for this crime
423
00:32:29,280 --> 00:32:31,240
because it just breaks my heart.
424
00:32:31,240 --> 00:32:34,760
It seems like she really had a bright future ahead of her.
425
00:32:34,760 --> 00:32:41,360
And just talking about her makes, I think we're both on the same page talking about the victims
426
00:32:41,360 --> 00:32:46,880
and highlighting them when we do these stories is really the most important part.
427
00:32:46,880 --> 00:32:50,160
It keeps them alive and it lets people know their story.
428
00:32:50,160 --> 00:32:52,440
And that's what's important about this.
429
00:32:52,440 --> 00:32:54,880
And I do want to say it's very important.
430
00:32:54,880 --> 00:33:02,800
If you have an information about what happened on the Carnival Horizon on November 7th, 2025,
431
00:33:02,800 --> 00:33:10,880
you can reach out directly to FBI's Miami Field Office or your local field office and just
432
00:33:10,880 --> 00:33:22,520
ask to be connected to the case team.
433
00:33:22,520 --> 00:33:23,520
Yep.
434
00:33:23,520 --> 00:33:26,920
And we will meet back here in two weeks.
435
00:33:26,920 --> 00:33:28,400
Thank you so much for listening.
436
00:33:28,400 --> 00:33:35,640
You know, I know we've been focusing more on these true crime stories because it's important
437
00:33:35,640 --> 00:33:43,760
to both Amy and I just in general, but from the victim support, I guess, I don't know how
438
00:33:43,760 --> 00:33:49,840
I was to say it, but from the victim's side of it and trying to highlight these people and
439
00:33:49,840 --> 00:33:54,880
tell their stories and talk about them so that like you said, they aren't forgotten.
440
00:33:54,880 --> 00:33:58,200
So thank you for listening.
441
00:33:58,200 --> 00:34:04,000
Hopefully you keep listening because we are definitely going to keep with this true
442
00:34:04,000 --> 00:34:05,000
crime.
443
00:34:05,000 --> 00:34:08,120
The minisodes are going to be more true crime based.
444
00:34:08,120 --> 00:34:15,160
I feel like if I was in their situation and I had someone missing or needed answers about
445
00:34:15,160 --> 00:34:21,640
their death, I would be very grateful to any and all that shared anything about my loved
446
00:34:21,640 --> 00:34:22,640
one.
447
00:34:22,640 --> 00:34:26,480
So I do hope that this does help in some way.
448
00:34:26,480 --> 00:34:27,480
Yes.
449
00:34:27,480 --> 00:34:35,800
Alright, well, we will meet back here in two weeks and we'll be starting a new trio.
450
00:34:35,800 --> 00:34:36,800
How exciting.
451
00:34:36,800 --> 00:34:38,040
I can't wait.
452
00:34:38,040 --> 00:34:39,040
Yes.
453
00:34:39,040 --> 00:34:40,040
Thank you everyone.
454
00:34:40,040 --> 00:34:41,040
Bye.
455
00:34:41,040 --> 00:34:42,040
Bye.
456
00:34:42,040 --> 00:34:50,520
Thanks for making it to the end and hanging out with us.
457
00:34:50,520 --> 00:34:53,800
Keep on the lookout for our next episode and stay gruesome.
458
00:34:53,800 --> 00:34:57,800
[Music]