Carnival cruise ship death: Family dynamics may explain investigators’ silence, legal expert says

As the national probe into 18-year-old Anna Kepner's decease nears 1 period with nary updates, a defence lawyer says determination whitethorn beryllium a crushed for the silence: investigators are navigating a uncommon concern successful which the victim’s relatives and the imaginable perpetrator’s relatives unrecorded nether the aforesaid roof.

Criminal defence lawyer and Fox News contributor Donna Rotunno said the deficiency of accusation whitethorn beryllium a motion of utmost caution.

"It is unusual we haven’t heard anything," Rotunno told Fox News Digital. "But I deliberation there’s a crushed for it. When you’re dealing with fundamentally 1 family, authorities person to beryllium cautious astir what they enactment retired there. You don’t privation to extremity disconnected what’s going connected erstwhile your victim’s household and your perpetrator’s household are successful the aforesaid house."

At 9 a.m. Friday, Kepner's begetter and stepmother – Christopher Kepner and Shauntel Hudson – are expected astatine the Moore Justice Center successful Brevard County, Florida, for a custody hearing, on with Hudson's ex-husband, Timothy Hudson.

Anna Kepner was identified by her household arsenic the rider who died connected committee the Carnival Horizon. (Instagram/Anna Kepner)

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Rotunno said the dynamic is highly antithetic and whitethorn beryllium driving the tight-lipped posture of national authorities. She added that investigators whitethorn besides beryllium grappling with the specifics of the origin of death, ruled arsenic mechanical asphyxia.

"They whitethorn not cognize if they tin beryllium what happened yet," Rotunno said. "Mechanical asphyxia could beryllium argued arsenic accidental oregon thing that went excessively far. Investigators whitethorn inactive beryllium sorting retired what the grounds supports."

Anna Kepner, her father, stepmother and respective siblings successful a household photo. (Shauntel Kepner/Facebook)

Friday morning’s family-court custody proceeding whitethorn connection an update connected the case. Rotunno said it whitethorn look antithetic that the nationalist is learning cardinal details done household court, but legally, the entree is straightforward.

"Family courts, conscionable similar transgression courts, are unfastened to the public," she said. "So portion it feels unusual, the courts are simply accessible. And close now, those filings are the lone spot we’re seeing developments."

Anna Kepner, 18, was recovered dormant aboard a Carnival cruise vessel connected Nov. 7, during a abrogation with her family. (Anna Kepner/Instagram)

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Court records from an ongoing custody conflict betwixt Shauntel Hudson and Thomas Hudson person surfaced arsenic cardinal documents successful the case. The filings place Anna’s 16-year-old stepbrother, who shared a compartment with her aboard the Carnival Horizon, arsenic a "suspect" successful her death. Federal authorities person not named oregon charged the teen.

"The sixteen-year-old kid is present a fishy successful the decease of the stepchild during the cruise," the filing states.

Thomas Hudson further alleges that his ex-wife's choices person enactment the 16-year-old's aboriginal "in jeopardy."

Christopher Kepner (center, reddish hat) arrives to a memorial work for his daughter, Anna Kepner, astatine the Grove Church successful Titusville, Florida, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. The 18-year-old cheerleader was reportedly recovered dormant nether a furniture connected a Carnival cruise connected Nov. 7. (Mark Sims for Fox News Digital)

Anna's father, Christopher, was subpoenaed up of today's hearing. However, according to a process server’s sworn connection filed up of a proceeding scheduled for Friday successful a contentious custody battle, Christopher was unreachable aft helium was ordered to testify.

Process server Leslie V. Kinsey wrote that Kepner’s SUV sat moving successful the driveway and the lights wrong the Titusville location were on, but nary 1 responded to repeated knocks oregon the doorbell.

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When asked whether Anna’s 16-year-old stepbrother mightiness beryllium called to the stand, Rotunno said it’s highly unlikely.

"Any lawyer would counsel him to stay silent," she said. "If you're the taxable of a transgression investigation, you shouldn’t beryllium giving statements anywhere. I deliberation a justice would accidental ‘no way’ to putting him connected the stand."

A judge, she said, would beryllium obligated to pass the teen of his Fifth Amendment rights and whitethorn adjacent name a nationalist defender to counsel him.