'Hush hush': Texts show family discussed how to handle Anna Kepner's death aboard cruise ship

Cristóbal Reyes, Orlando Sentinel on Dec 23, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

ORLANDO, Fla. — In the aftermath of Anna Kepner’s death last month aboard a cruise ship, her family discussed how to protect their children — including the teen stepbrother considered a suspect by the FBI.

Text messages released last week between divorced parents Thomas and Shauntel Hudson show how they scrambled to handle the news of Kepner’s death. On Nov. 9, two days after Kepner was found asphyxiated under a bed, they discussed whether the other children who joined the trip aboard the Carnival Horizon with Kepner would see amateur sleuths theorizing the case online.

The messages were edited for clarity by the Orlando Sentinel.

“I just want him to know that he isn’t just dead to everyone,” Thomas Hudson wrote of his son, the 16-year-old boy at the center of the case. “Regardless of everything at the moment, he needs his parents; I know you know that. I just would like to have a chance to talk to him as soon as possible.”

In the same exchange, Thomas Hudson wrote that despite how “everything is supposed to be hush hush for now,” he was concerned about the news of Kepner’s death going viral on social media. “I just want to make sure, until things are certain, that he doesn’t get any unnecessary comments towards him,” he said.

Shauntel Hudson, Kepner’s stepmother from a previous marriage, tried to quell that concern.

“We have not said anything to anybody, and we are going to try our best to keep [his name] completely out,” she replied. “He is a minor, so his name shouldn’t be anywhere. When we talk to the FBI again, we will reiterate that we do not want his name out there and everything that’s been posted on TikTok and social media.”

The text exchanges were released Dec. 16 in a 107-page filing in Brevard County court by Shauntel Hudson’s attorneys as part of an ongoing custody battle involving the youngest child after Thomas Hudson accused her of violating court-ordered time-sharing agreements.

Despite concerns about details of Kepner’s death being publicly disclosed, records filed in that case have yielded more information about the homicide investigation than federal authorities have so far provided. Among the details is the stepbrother’s full name, mentioned unredacted in that court document.

While his identity as a suspect was disclosed using his initials in other records filed in the custody case, the Sentinel will not disclose his name as he has not been charged with a crime.

The stepbrother has since been placed in the custody of the Department of Children and Families. The court documents have not disclosed any further details about what happened the day Kepner was killed, but Shauntel Hudson wrote that the boy did not recall what happened.

“I was able to talk to him last night for under two minutes, briefly,” she wrote. “He justkeeps repeating over and over he can’t remember anything.”

On Dec. 5, Thomas Hudson claimed in an emergency court motion seeking to move his youngest child to his custody that his son did not have permission to go on the cruise, where he allegedly shared a bed with Kepner. He also alleged Shauntel Hudson repeatedly violated court orders regarding shared parenting time.

The Dec. 16 filing further shows Thomas Hudson’s frustration with not being able to see one of his daughters after Kepner’s body was found, purportedly against their child-sharing agreement. Shauntel Hudson, according to the messages, at one point said the child did not want to see her father but later arranged for a drop-off after his repeated attempts to talk to her.

In another exchange, Thomas Hudson looked to have the children see the stepbrother, who is in the custody of a relative, saying it “might be the last time that they get to see each other for a long time.” That ask was rejected.

“All kids have stated to me that they want to see each other,” he wrote. “I believe it is good for them to do so.”

On Dec. 17, a judge denied his motion, saying there is no emergency to move the youngest child from Shauntel Hudson’s custody “as long as the older child [Kepner’s stepbrother] remains out of the home.”

_____