BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – The death of 18-year-old Anna Kepner on a Carnival Cruise ship last fall has sparked a new child custody fight involving the Titusville teen’s stepsiblings, newly filed court records show.
Kepner’s 16-year-old stepbrother, identified in court papers as T.H., has been under investigation for her death and appeared in federal court earlier this month for undisclosed reasons, according to family members.
[VIDEO: Stepbrother goes to court after mysterious death of Titusville student Anna Kepner]
Thomas Hudson, who is the father of T.H., is seeking custody of a 9-year-old daughter who he shares with his ex-wife Shauntel Kepner.
Shauntel Kepner, who is also the mother of T.H., is now married to Anna Kepner’s biological father, Christopher Kepner.
[VIDEO: Titusville teen’s death on cruise ship still under investigation, records indicate]
In an emergency petition filed in Brevard County circuit court Feb. 20, Thomas Hudson said it was in the best interest of their daughter that he has sole time sharing and parental responsibility “to avoid endangerment”.
“According to social media from the Kepner family, on February 3, 2026, the Petitioner/Father’s son, T.H., was charged by the United States Attorney in the Southern District of Florida for the (redacted) and homicide of Anna Kepner,” Hudson wrote in his petition.
News 6 has been unable to independently identify the source of the reported social media post cited by Hudson or the information contained within it.
[VIDEO: Text messages reveal family discussions after teen’s death aboard Carnival cruise ship]
The FBI has declined to comment on its investigation into Kepner’s death, and federal prosecutors have not responded to questions about it.
It was not immediately clear why some words in Hudson’s publicly viewable court filing have been redacted with black boxes.
“It is not in the best interests of the Petitioner/Father’s nine year-old minor child to be living with her stepfather where her brother has been accused of (redacted) and murdering the daughter of her stepfather, all while the Petitioner/Father is supporting his son, T.H., in his criminal defense of those allegations as outlined above,” Hudson’s petition states.
Shauntel Kepner has not yet filed court papers responding to her ex-husband’s petition, and a judge did not immediately rule on Hudson’s request.