Rotten Mango – Detailed Episode Summary

Podcast: Rotten Mango

Host: Stephanie Soo
Episode: Missing Teen Girl On Cruise Found Under Mattress & Main Suspect Is 16 Yr Old "Obsessed" Step Brother
Date: December 23, 2025

Overview

In this in-depth, haunting episode of Rotten Mango, Stephanie Soo explores the mysterious and tragic case of 18-year-old Anna Kepner, who was found dead, concealed under a mattress in her cruise ship cabin during a family vacation. She dissects the complicated family dynamics, alarming roommate arrangements, social media sleuthing, and the chilling possibility that the main suspect in Anna’s murder is her own 16-year-old stepbrother—described by those close as "obsessed" with Anna. Stephanie provides real-time coverage of the ongoing investigation, utilizing exclusive details from a concurrent custody battle that has brought private family text messages and behavior into public view.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Setting: Cruise Culture and Crime Context

• Port Miami’s Scale: Described as a city on water—capable of disembarking and boarding up to 12 massive cruise liners daily, with up to 8.6 million passengers a year (00:58).
• Cruise Mishaps: Stephanie shares infamous cruise disasters, like the "poop cruise" (Carnival Triumph), emphasizing how rare but sensational cruise crimes and disappearances actually are compared to more mundane issues (04:34).
  • Quote: "But it does happen. November 8, 2025..." (06:03).

2. Discovery of the Crime

• Timeline: On November 8, 2025, after Carnival Horizon docked in Miami, federal agents and a medical examiner were seen boarding, fueling online speculation.
• Carnival Letter: Passengers on Anna's deck received a letter urging them to let authorities access their cabins for an ongoing investigation (06:07).
• TikTok Evidence: A viral TikTok from another passenger confirmed security presence and rumors of a death on the eighth floor—adding to the urgency and fear onboard (09:22).
  • Quote: "[She] says that she’s not even going to leave her room for the rest of the 24 hours and she’s just going to keep her scissors nearby just in case..." (10:06).
• Morgue on Board: Stephanie explains all cruise ships have a morgue, mostly used for elderly deaths, but security was likely stationed outside Anna’s room to preserve evidence (09:24).

3. The Victim and Family Dynamics

• Victim: Anna Kepner, 18, about to graduate and enlist in the Navy, described as emotionally troubled but ambitious (26:04, 28:09).
  • Quote: "She was set to graduate high school in May of 2026. She wants to enlist in the Navy. She’s already taken a military enlistment test..." (26:04).
• Family Tree Complexity: Stephanie painstakingly outlines Anna's convoluted blended family, illuminating a web of half-siblings, stepparents, and step-siblings with overlapping custody and fraught relationships (21:23–26:04).
• Room Arrangements: The three teens—Anna, her 14-year-old half-brother, and her 16-year-old stepbrother—shared a room, a choice critics online and in the family found bizarre and inappropriate, especially given the teens’ limited familiarity (33:11).
  • Quote: “It’s odd to have an 18-year-old girl and a 16-year-old boy... no blood relations... staying in the same room.” (33:39)

4. The Crime Scene & Conflicting Reports

• Anna’s Body: Discovered by a room attendant under a mattress, wrapped in a sheet and life jackets. Cause of death was mechanical asphyxia (bar chokehold), with no evidence of drugs, alcohol, or sexual assault in toxicology reports; though rumors online contradicted this (36:42).
• Family & Media Response: Her uncle Martin Donahue’s public outcry and interviews from her grandmother, “Meemaw,” reveal both a certainty of foul play and confusion about the subdued, oddly sympathetic response toward the suspect within Anna’s own family (28:55–39:36).
  • Notable Quote: “The only person responsible is the person that was in the room with Anna.” – Grandma Barbara (35:37)
  • Notable Quote: “He had demons in his past that he was trying to deal with...” – Grandma (38:31)
• Suspect’s Amnesia?: Grandmother claims the stepbrother “doesn’t remember what happened” and describes him as an “emotional mess,” a reaction that confounds listeners and online commenters (38:37).

5. Suspicion, Motive, and Prior Red Flags

• Obsessed Stepbrother: Anna’s ex-boyfriend and other family allege the 16-year-old was “obsessed,” even "creepy," towards Anna. Allegations of him watching Anna sleep and her avoiding home are discussed (47:22).
  • Notable Quote: “He’s like infatuated, attracted to her like crazy. He always wanted to date her.” – Anna’s ex-boyfriend (47:22)
• Alleged Prior Incidents: Family knew about the discomfort but dismissed it, and Anna’s stepmom insisted the teens were "three amigos," contradicting Anna’s own actions (49:18).
• Roommate’s Alibi and Behavior: The 14-year-old half brother claims he was locked out of the room, heard noises but didn’t raise alarm, suggesting either regularity of such incidents or family dysfunction (50:21–52:04).

6. Medications & Legal Defense Possibilities

• Medication Lapse: The 16-year-old was prescribed ADHD meds (Concerta) and Clonidine for insomnia. The two nights leading up to Anna’s death, his mother (Chantel) failed to give him the nighttime medication (Clonidine)—which could have impacted his behavior (54:46).
  • Stephanie’s Insight: Lawyers may cite medication withdrawal for behavioral instability if the suspect is charged (54:46).
  • Quote: "Clonidine is not something you just miss. It’s not a take as needed type of prescription." (54:47)

7. The Custody Hearing: A Window Into Family Secrets

• Emergency Custody Filing: The murder triggered a battle between Chantel and her ex-husband Thomas over their nine-year-old daughter, revealing numerous private texts and family dynamics in open court (42:06).
• Text Messages as Evidence: Hundreds of pages included in the family court filings showing accusations of parental neglect, denial over the stepbrother’s issues, and hints at past problems (“I kept my mouth shut when you told me you can't jeopardize your marriage for helping your son.”) (63:53).
  • Quote: “Please reread the report card. It notes that he is very respectful and there’s nothing negative stated about his attendance...” – Chantel (58:55)

8. Timeline Gaps & Unanswered Questions

• Clashing Stories: Discrepancies between where Anna was last seen and by whom; lack of agreement on events leading to her death; inconsistent adult supervision (58:55–63:32).
• No Arrests, Public Confusion: Despite the open secret of the stepbrother being a suspect, no arrest has occurred as of the recording date—fueling speculation and conspiracy online (63:53).
• Surveillance Evidence: Cruise ships are outfitted with cameras, leaving hope for clarity once official findings are released; but so far, only fragmented familial accounts exist (63:32).

Memorable Quotes & Notable Moments

• On Cruise Perils:
  "There would be about 70 to 80 massive truck trailers pulled up to the terminal to deliver provisions... sometimes you see like 30,000 pounds of just meat going into one ship." (01:34)
• "Fecal lasagna":
  “They [the toilets] turned from poop buckets to just poop. Fake fountains, poop, fecal matter spraying into the staterooms, into the hallways, everywhere.” (04:38)
• Discovery Shock:
  “I was told that the room attendant pulled back the mattress and found Anna. The FBI... told us her cause of death was asphyxiation.” – Grandma Barbara (36:50)
• On Family Denial:
  “He couldn’t even speak. He couldn’t believe what had happened... He was a good student, played soccer, very quiet young man. He had demons, I think, in his past.” (38:31)
• Public Outcry:
  “Anybody else creeped out by this entire family?” – Social media comment, quoted by Stephanie (39:39)
• Online Trolls and TikTok Sleuthing:
  “A passenger... pans around the deck and you see a teenage girl in a white shirt, black shorts, doing the Cupid Shuffle... It does [go viral] because you see Anna Kepner dancing...” (20:21)
• Ex-Boyfriend’s Warning:
  “...the stepbrother had allegedly come into the dining room area and tried to get on top of her... I’m screaming hey, what are you doing?” (47:22)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Port Miami, Cruise Culture & Poop Cruise: 00:58–06:00
• Initial Reporting on Anna Kepner’s Death and Cruise Letter: 06:03–13:53
• Introducing the Blended Family & Room Assignments: 21:23–33:38
• Anna Kepner’s Background & TikToks: 26:04–28:55
• Public Family Statements and Social Media Backlash: 28:55–39:36
• Details of Anna’s Death by Bar Hold: 36:42–38:31
• Allegations of Stepbrother’s Obsession ('Creepy' Behavior): 47:17–52:04
• Medication Details and Defense Hypotheses: 54:46–58:55
• Timeline Discrepancies, Family Testimonies, and Room Events: 58:55–63:53
• Custody Hearing, Text Message Revelations: 63:53–End

Conclusion and Tone

Stephanie Soo delivers the episode in her trademark style: conversational, thorough, and deeply empathetic, but unafraid to call out negligence or raise uncomfortable implications. She masterfully catalogs online speculation, family dissonance, and the creeping sense that Anna Kepner—whose dreams and doubts were on display for all to see—was failed by nearly every adult in her blended, conflicted family. With the case ongoing, listeners are left unsettled but equipped with all known facts, quotes, and a roadmap for what remains unresolved.

Closing Sentiment (65:00):
“I will see you in the next part. Stay safe and let me know your thoughts.” – Stephanie Soo

For further updates, Stephanie notes the investigation is ongoing and directs listeners to check for future episodes or show notes at rottenmangopodcast.com