meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
True Crime Today | Daily True Crime News & Interviews

"She Was Scared of Him" — Anna Kepner's Family Ignored the Warnings. Now She's Dead.

True Crime Today | Daily True Crime News & Interviews

Tony Brueski

True Crime, News Commentary, News

4.2612 Ratings

🗓️ 30 December 2025

⏱️ 17 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The warnings were there. According to the father of Anna Kepner's ex-boyfriend, Anna told people she didn't feel safe around her stepbrother. He says the 16-year-old was obsessed with her, that he carried a knife, and that Anna's ex-boyfriend once witnessed him climb on top of her while she slept during a FaceTime call. He says he tried to warn her parents. He says they dismissed him. Weeks later, Anna Kepner was dead — found under a bed on the Carnival Horizon cruise ship, strangled to death on a family vacation she never should have taken. Her stepbrother is now the FBI's primary suspect. His own parents have acknowledged it in court filings. But eight weeks after her death was ruled a homicide by mechanical asphyxiation, no charges have been filed. Newly released text messages between the suspect's parents show a family scrambling to control the narrative, not grieving the girl who died. A former detective called it damage control. Meanwhile, testimony from the December custody hearings has revealed prior incidents of physical restraint in the household — including a chokehold allegation from the suspect's own older brother. This is a case where the red flags were waving. Where people saw something and said something. And where the adults in charge chose not to act. Anna Kepner was eighteen. She wanted to serve her country. Instead, she's waiting for justice that still hasn't come.


#AnnaKepner #CarnivalCruise #WarningSigns #TrueCrime #CruiseShipMurder #FBI #JusticeForAnna #CarnivalHorizon #FloridaCrime #TrueCrimeBreaking





Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/

​Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video?
Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/

Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod

X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

In the casino, something as small as the roll of a dice or the spin of the slots holds the thrill of the unknown.

0:09.1

Sign up with Bet Victor, and when you wager 10 euro, you'll get 50 euro in bonuses on selected games, plus 100 free spins on Big Bass Splash.

0:18.3

Place your best bet at Bed Victor.

0:20.8

18 plus new customers only.

0:22.3

Offer expires within seven days of sign-up 40 times wagering requirement.

0:25.7

Visit bedvictor.com,

0:26.9

pretiesensensiesgamblingcare.org.

0:28.1

Please gamble responsibly.

0:30.1

In the casino, something as small as the roll of a dice

0:33.8

or the spin of the slots holds the thrill of the unknown.

0:39.1

Sign up with Bet Victor, and when you wager 10 euro, you'll get 50 euro in bonuses on selected games, plus 100 free spins on Big Bass Splash.

0:48.4

Place your best bet at Bed Victor.

0:50.9

18 plus new customers only, offer expires within seven days of sign-up 40 times

0:54.7

wagering requirement. Visit bedvictor.com, pretiesensiesgamblingcare.com. Please gamble responsibly.

1:00.7

This is Hidden Killers with Tony Bruske. Here now, Tony Bruske.

1:07.4

Eight weeks. Anna Kempner has been dead for eight weeks as of this recording found under a bed on a cruise ship wrapped in a blanket, covered with life vests, strangled to death at 18 years old.

1:20.5

Her death certificate says homicide.

1:22.4

It says mechanical exphyxiation.

1:24.4

It says she was killed by other person or persons. The FBI has been investigating

1:30.0

since November 7th. Both parents of her 16-year-old stepbrother have acknowledged in court

1:36.7

filings that he is a suspect. He's been removed from the family home, sent to live with

1:41.3

relatives, and is reportedly undergoing psychiatric evaluation.

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Tony Brueski, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Tony Brueski and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.