Anna Kepner.Credit : Anna Kepner/Instagram

“Anna was pure energy: bubbly, funny, outgoing, and completely herself. “

That is how Anna Kepner is remembered in her obituary.

The 18-year-old high school student lost her life while traveling with her family on the Carnival Horizon cruise ship in early November.

Her death was later declared a homicide. While there have been no arrests made at this time, court papers filed in the custody proceedings between Anna’s stepmother Shauntel Hudson and her ex-husband suggest that Anna’s 16-year-old stepbrother is under criminal investigation,

When asked about his estranged stepson’s possible involvement in his daughter’s murder, Christopher Kepner previously told PEOPLE: “I cannot say that he is responsible but I can’t decline. He was the only one that was in the room and the FBI has an ongoing investigation in which they will have to provide the evidence to say that he did do it or did not do this.”

Here is a look at the timeline of events leading up to Anna’s Death.

Nov. 2, 2025

Carnival Horizon.Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group/ Getty

The Carnival Horizon departs Miami on a six-night Western Caribbean cruise. Among the guests on board are Barbara and Jeffrey Kepner, their son Christopher Kepner and his new wife Shauntel Hudson, their granddaughter Anna and her two younger siblings and two of Shauntel’s children.

Nov. 4 – 5, 2025

Anna Kepner.Anna Kepner/Instagram

The Carnival Horizon makes stops in Ocho Rios, Jamaica and Georgetown, Grand Cayman.

Nov. 6, 2025

Barbara and Jeffrey Kepner.Good Morning America/Youtube

The Carnival Horizon departs Cozumel, Mexico, and begins the two-day trip back to Miami. The family has dinner together but Anna says her braces are bothering her and leaves the family early to return to her room, Barbara told ABC News. Later that night, a “dressed up” Anna visits her grandmother at the casino. “And she said, ‘Meemaw, I love you guys, I’ll see you later,’ ” Barbara recalls. It is the last time she would see her granddaughter alive. A copy of the death certificate provided to the family and seen by ABC News says that Anna suffers her “cause of injury” at some point after last seeing her grandparents. The certificate says Anna “was mechanically asphyxiated by other person(s).”

Nov. 7, 2025

Anna Kepner.Anna Kepner/Instagram

A copy of the death certificate obtained by PEOPLE lists Anna’s time of death as 11:17 a.m. She is reportedly discovered dead underneath a mattress by a housekeeper on the ship. Her grandfather tells ABC News he learns something is wrong when an announcement goes out instructing staff to report to the room Anna is sharing with her stepbrother.

Nov. 8, 2025

Anna Kepner.Anna Kepner/Instagram

The ship docks in MIami, where FBI agents are waiting to board the ship and begin their investigation. No one is detained or held in custody, but Anna’s stepbrother is checked into a mental health facility, according to court filings submitted in his parents’ custody battle,

Nov. 10, 2025

Anna Kepner.Anna Kepner/Instagram

News of Anna’s death is shared on the Facebook page of Temple Christian School, where she was in her senior year. Students begin to cover her car in the school parking lot with flowers.

Nov. 17, 2025

Anna Kepner.Anna Kepner/Instagram

Shauntel files a motion seeking to postpone a court hearing in her ongoing custody battle with her ex-husband which states: “She has been advised through discussions with FBI investigators and her attorneys that a criminal case may be initiated against one of the minor children of this instant action.”

Nov. 20, 2025

Anna Kepner memorial.WKMG News 6 ClickOrlando/YouTube

Friends and family gather at Grove Church for a memorial celebrating Anna’s life. Her mother Heather Wright announces plans to attend in a disguise, claiming she was not invited to the gathering.