FL - Anna Kepner, 18, dies aboard Carnival cruise ship traveling from Miami to Caribbean, FBI launch probe, 7 Nov 2025

[mickey2942]

Re the waiting to figure out jurisdiction being the reason, it is understandable at first but as time passes it bothers me:


Is this kind of FBI “jurisdiction limbo” normal? Where they sit on a case saying they will have to turn it over to another jurisdiction but then take week(s)
to figure out where to turn it over? I agree I want the law to get things right, but if the suspect was suspected of killing a stranger, or multiple people … would the fbi actually just delay an arrest or even turning over the case to anyone, while they slowly figured out jurisdiction? That doesn’t seem safe.

Plus, the local or state or other agency they decide to turn it over to - - now that new agency who gets it will be in charge, but they will be stuck taking a case that is weeks old, hasn’t been worked on in weeks, where ship evidence is gone, ship witnesses dispersed, and time and fresh memories are passing - the fbi delay-limbo hampers the agency that will ultimately be in charge of the investigation and prosecution. That agency won’t be able to do any independent investigation at this point, as to many aspects of the case.

I just feel this is strange and can’t believe no authority is in charge or acting right now.

(And writing made me realize it’s seems so strange, that possibly the *real* behind the scenes situation is very different - maybe the suspect is just n fact securely confined and monitored, and the case is still being worked, and that info is just not publicized.)

I agree completely. And this can't be the first murder on a cruise ship. It is also odd, that there is the family saying the kids are "not safe" around the 16 YO, but it seems to me that he is at another family member's house, with absolutely no restrictions? No ankle monitor? Nothing?

Great. Let's hope no other young girls are in his vicinity. I guess he is free to go to school, do whatever he wants? Just kill a step sibling and life goes on as usual? No consequences. I guess Anna's family doesn't seem to want any justice for her.

 

[Mauritius]

In case you didn't hear this part - the oldest son left the Kepner household due to some sort of violent incident with Anna's dad. He is living with his biological dad at this time. It's not too strange to imagine that he had stories to tell his dad about how things were going in that household. ALSO, I believe the custody battle between Shauntel and her ex began before the cruise. So with a court date pending, and information from the oldest son, it's not surprising he was against his 2 youngest going on the cruise.

Your comment struck me - if a household recently had a child move out to come live with other parent due to a violent fight with the adults in the household, I agree other parent would be concerned with his other younger children still living in that household that had the violent fight. As well as those younger children going away with the same adults on a cruise. Put that way, the concern does make sense.

 

[OneLove]

>snip<
(And writing made me realize it’s seems so strange, that possibly the *real* behind the scenes situation is very different - maybe the suspect is just n fact securely confined and monitored, and the case is still being worked, and that info is just not publicized.)

Yeah; my concern has been they (as in SK) are the ones stalling while they make plans to disappear the kid well enough he can't be found for trial. I do not for one minute believe the FBI is stupidly "tryna figure out" anything. Their cases are very well put together, excellently prosecuted, and decidedly concluded. It takes time and though it might be hard for SK to grasp that her baby boy is NOT their number one full time focus *snort*, the FBI will get to this when his number is up and all ducks are very securely lined up for the slam dunk this will be.

Meantime, they probably have "eyes" on him in case they get to arrest HER also in case she tries to squirrel him away to "safety" where he can't be found. There are also other things those sharp "eyes" can be doing useful to their case. Their "microscope" is more sharply honed than the general public's and media's put together. 👁

 

[Shadow@light]

Re deadbolts

Yes, cruise ship cabins have a deadbolt lock on the inside.

But...
Staff with a master keycard or a specific override key
can open the deadbolt.
This is typically reserved for emergencies.

Nobody wants to be trapped in a cabin in case of emergency, right?

JMO

That is very True, Dotta.
Staff do have a Master Key that can override a Dead bolt, I worked in a 5 Star Hotels for many years in Housekeeping in Australia. A loss of our Master key was an instant dismissal, weather it was found or not . ( I saw it done)
If it was not found all locks on doors in Hotel was replaced. Or entering a room without knocking, got you into big trouble
Also staff are trained to be aware on what was happening around the Hotel, report and take action.
A distressed kid unable to get into his cabin , on the Ship Staff are nearby. They/Staff should have taken action also report to the Manager and Parents. Where Teenagers and Children staying ,we kept a close eye on what was going on.
In one of the Hotel which I worked in a young Lad had trouble getting into his room Dead Bolt, I knew there was family in there Parents ,two boy,s teenager the other ten years old, I walked up knocked on the Door said Housekeeping before I used Master key, Older Brother unlocked the Door, Parents were out exploring the town.
The incident was reported to parents.
There were other situations which was much worse, but we were trained in what to do.
I would like to know if the younger Brother had gone to the Parents to say he could not get into the cabin, IMO Was he dismissed for making a fuss or was he too scared to say anything. Did he go for help to Staff?
I just spoken to a couple of friends, they had been on Cruises, one was just last year, Disney Ship.
They informed me the double lock is eletronic turn of a knob inside the door, but be could opened by Staff Master Key, on their trip there was emergency a person in the next Cabin became unwell/ injured called for help on Phone , was unable to open door the Crew open the door with Master Key.

 

[Arkay]

Shauntel is definitely doing "Mama Bear". She says "16 YO" was diagnosed with "ADHD". And missed his sleeping medication 2x on the cruise. Sure, all boys with ADHD who miss their meds become psycho killers. Not.

Right.

And just who should be supervising TH taking his medication properly, anyway?

He’s 16, he’s away from home, he has ADHD which by definition means he cannot always pay attention to detail——this was his mother’s job, or at least the responsibility of a secondary adult.

Failure after failure and I do still fault TH, he committed this heinous act, but conditions were overlooked by those responsible for the safety and well-being of the family members.

JMO

 

[Warwick7]

From your article above:

"She said the three teenagers were all placed in the same room “upon the advice of a travel agent.”

Shauntel testified that Kepner, her stepbrother, and her brother got along like “Three Amigos,” describing their relationship as “best friends.”."

WTH?! A "travel agent", who does not know the family, decides who sleeps where?! Really?

And based on information from other sources, it doesn't sound like Anna thought they were "Three Musketeers".

Shauntel is definitely doing "Mama Bear". She says "16 YO" was diagnosed with "ADHD". And missed his sleeping medication 2x on the cruise. Sure, all boys with ADHD who miss their meds become psycho killers. Not.

Oh....now it's the travel agent's fault.

 

[Sueco]

Separating teens of the opposite sex, ESPECIALLY if all are newly acquainted is just common sense!
Protecting females of ALL ages should be the basic and main rule, I don’t care how many bedrooms lacking

Not normal in my orbit

Well I dont agree, for me its common sense to not base ones opinions and actions on things that is very uncommon to happen. If the people involved are ok with it and havent expressed any concern about it I cant judge on that. In most families and peoplegroups there is no issue at all with sharing rooms or whatnot with people of the opposite sex.
If you feel the need to protect youre female child from a stepson, or other guy/person for that matter, you just dont invite them to youre place, let alone live there. That should be the basic rule

 

[Hexe]

Cruises are relatively inexpensive in Florida, with additional discounts for Florida residents. If this family had been on cruises previously, as indicated by Anna stating how much she enjoyed the other cruise, they may have even received a comp.

Still, when your family lives in such conditions you save the money for something better, not splash it out on holidays. Unless you are as selfish and immature as these two so called "parents".

 

[Serononin]

No kidding, right? The unpleasant possibilities are endless. Snoring, farting noxious gasses, not liking a teen up late with blue screens on 'talking' to friends or tt'ing etc, maybe having to listen to "life advice" yet again, being told how wonderful the bad seed is, too many nighttime trips to bathroom, maybe g'parents bicker, being asked personal questions, expecting constant hand holding, and wait, there's more! NOT what a teen wants on a fun trip no matter how much one loves their grandparents. And she may also have felt like it woukd be an imposition. And if they smoked, the stank could be horrendous.

I don't think my grandparents ever got a full night's sleep in their 65 years of marriage. On occasions when we were all in the same house, they could often be found making tea and toast in the wee hours because one or both of them couldn't sleep

 

[Serononin]

HOW did she come out of that hearing with the little??????

She interfered with parenting time for over a year, then took the child (both children) out of the country without the father's consent. That's all kinds of not okay.

Never mind the wanton lack of supervision of minors on the cruise outside of the country. She admitted to not providing T with his medications. She did not monitor the room with three unrelated teenagers (two and one), an arrangement that resulted in murder.

If that trend of poor judgment doesn't call for an emergency injunction, I don't know what does.

JMO

I can only assume that if she wasn't in imminent physical danger, the judge figured it would be easier to leave the child where she was for the time being

 

[Serononin]

Another thing I learned from the hearing was that all of the children attended the same school. Now, they've been asked to leave due to media bombardment and have transferred to a different school (possibly larger with more security?).

I remember earlier here we speculated whether they attended different schools. It quite unusual with all of that media that none of the students have agreed to talk to them.

Complete speculation on my part, but if the school thought this could reflect badly on them (or just generally open them or their students up to unwanted attention), I could see them perhaps issuing an ultimatum along the lines of "any student who talks to the media will be suspended"

 

[303gmf]

Well I dont agree, for me its common sense to not base ones opinions and actions on things that is very uncommon to happen. If the people involved are ok with it and havent expressed any concern about it I cant judge on that. In most families and peoplegroups there is no issue at all with sharing rooms or whatnot with people of the opposite sex.
If you feel the need to protect youre female child from a stepson, or other guy/person for that matter, you just dont invite them to youre place, let alone live there. That should be the basic rule

Obviously this family had issues and lack of boundaries!
Having daughters myself
“very uncommon” is NOT enough
There were warnings

 

[mickey2942]

Oh....now it's the travel agent's fault.

Interesting how the narrative continues to evolve.
1. Kids decided themselves where to sleep. (I highly doubt Anna wanted to share a room with 16 YO).
2. Travel agent decided where the kids should sleep. (Of course, a travel agent would be the one who decided who should share rooms).

Waiting for the next one, Anna wanted to be with the "boys". (I completely doubt that).

And then, there is the subtle hint that "the MEDS" made him do it. Or missing "the MEDS" made him do it.

 

[Spectrix]

Waiting for the next one, Anna wanted to be with the "boys". (I completely doubt that).

I mean that one was all but stated by the step mom - those kids were inseparable, the three amigos

 

[Megnut]

From your article above:

"She said the three teenagers were all placed in the same room “upon the advice of a travel agent.”

Shauntel testified that Kepner, her stepbrother, and her brother got along like “Three Amigos,” describing their relationship as “best friends.”."

WTH?! A "travel agent", who does not know the family, decides who sleeps where?! Really?

And based on information from other sources, it doesn't sound like Anna thought they were "Three Musketeers".

Shauntel is definitely doing "Mama Bear". She says "16 YO" was diagnosed with "ADHD". And missed his sleeping medication 2x on the cruise. Sure, all boys with ADHD who miss their meds become psycho killers. Not.

Bbm

I wonder if Shauntel mentioned that the three amigos were only related by a new marriage. Not unusual to place children in a room adjacent to parents, or across from, in the case of cruiseship rooms, especially since one was 18. But important detail -- opposite sex, unrelated children. If the rooms were actually booked this way, then IMO Shauntel did NOT provide the travel agent with full information.

 JMO

 

[mickey2942]

Still, when your family lives in such conditions you save the money for something better, not splash it out on holidays. Unless you are as selfish and immature as these two so called "parents".

LOL. I used to teach school in Las Vegas. Kids came to school, telling us SO many disturbing things. The power going out, was "routine" for non payment. Not being able to get to school, because there was no gas in the car. On and on...parents/caregivers being gone for hours and hours, no food in the house.

We used to send home weekend backpacks with food, kids could open and eat themselves, like SnackPack pudding, fruit cups, jerky, juice boxes, cheese crackers.

Gambling affects more families than people realize.

I also wonder, if the parents room was "upgraded" by the cruise line, and that is why they were not next to the kids and grandparents rooms. They were in a different area of the ship. Usually, when you book a cruise for the family, all of the rooms are in the same area.

People who earn "loyalty" points for gaming on cruises usually get a room upgrade.

 

[Wallendo]

Not all people who live in trailers are "trailer trash", or even low income. In most of Florida, winters are quite mild, and a mobile home can be quite comfortable. There are many people who feel no need to have an expensive house and will live in a mobile home which allows them more resources for cars, boats, and vacations.

We do know that Anna had her own car and went to a private school, so the family doesn't appear to be too poor. We don't know, however, whether this car was for her own personal use. Possibly she was expected to provide a "taxi service" for her younger siblings and step-siblings.

I suspect the child custody hearings are more about child support payments than minor children leaving the country without both parents' consent.

We probably won't know much about family finances unless an arrest takes place. Defense lawyers are extremely expensive. if the family seeks a public defender for their minor child, financial information will become quite relevant. Even if well-off, I doubt Anna's grandparents would spend a dime for defense of someone charged with murdering their granddaughter.

There is just so much we don't know about this case. What were her stepbrother's demons? Why frequent school changes? Did stepbrother routinely crawl into Anna's bed in the middle of the night, or was this a one-time thing he did just to irritate her boyfriend? Or did her ex embellish the event? We know very little about Anna's life prior to this cruise, and even then, we only know snippets about what happened the night of her death.

Hopefully, these questions will be answered. It would not surprise me, however, if the perpetrator is found to be incompetent to stand trial and we may not get a full account.

 

[Kakidoll]

Cruises are relatively inexpensive in Florida, with additional discounts for Florida residents. If this family had been on cruises previously, as indicated by Anna stating how much she enjoyed the other cruise, they may have even received a comp.

Cruise lines want that ship full of people with no where to go, and nothing to do but drink cheap booze and go play in the casino. You can't lay out by the pool all of the time.

Not so much anymore... except VERY last minute deals or casino comps. It used to be MUCH better for FL residents than it is now. Covid changed alot of that.

 

[Kakidoll]

Just a side note to the question on how they are living/small house/trailer. They own multiple properties in Titusville, the largest a 4/3 house. Not sure how much can post as sleuthing family however its all in public records who/where/what/when

 

[Kakidoll]

Still, when your family lives in such conditions you save the money for something better, not splash it out on holidays. Unless you are as selfish and immature as these two so called "parents".

They are not all living in a trailer. They have multiple properties and businesses in titusville. And if grandparents cruise alot and gamble, they probably have free cabin offers.