The Death of Anna Kepner

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The Death of Anna Kepner

Podcast: Two Ts In A Pod with Teddi Mellencamp and Tamra Judge (Legally Brunette Crossover)
Date: November 20, 2025
Host(s): Emily Simpson & Shane (appearing on the Legally Brunette spin-off feed)

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Emily Simpson and Shane dive into the developing and tragic case of Anna Kepner, an 18-year-old high school senior who was found dead aboard the Carnival cruise ship Horizon. The discussion covers the known facts of the case, explores its many unanswered questions, analyzes media patterns, the legal intricacies involved, and the broader context of crime investigations on cruise ships. The hosts also draw comparisons to past cases like the Amy Bradley disappearance, speculate about possible suspects, and discuss the unique legal challenges of investigating a death in international waters.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Who Was Anna Kepner, and What Happened?

• Anna Kepner, 18, from Titusville, Florida; high school senior, varsity cheerleader, gymnast, recently completed a military entrance test.
• Was on a family cruise (Nov 2-8) from Miami to the Caribbean with her father, his new partner (stepmom/girlfriend), and the partner's three children.
• On the night of Nov 6, Anna left a dinner event early, complaining she felt unwell ([06:02]).
• On the morning of Nov 7, Anna was discovered dead by a housekeeper in her cabin, wrapped in a blanket and covered by life jackets, reportedly under a bed or pull-out couch ([07:52]-[08:42]).
• The cruise ship was a "floating city" with nearly 4000 passengers and 1500 crew ([09:13]).
• The time of death was officially recorded as 11:17am on Nov 7, but the hosts note this is likely the time she was declared dead, not when she died ([11:50]-[12:39]).

2. Media Portrayal and Stereotypes

• Observed that major news consistently foregrounds Anna’s identity as a “cheerleader,” hinting at media bias and clickbait tendencies ([04:02]-[04:48]).

  "It's always 'cheerleader.' You never see 'trumpet player' in the headlines." — Emily ([04:26])

3. Investigation Challenges on Cruise Ships

• Unique difficulties: massive area, temporary population, international waters, and limited crime scene preservation ([09:13], [13:15]-[14:22]).

  "You’re on a ship. You can’t leave [the body] in the room because you’re sailing through the Caribbean." — Emily ([13:35])

• Limited information: room arrangements, whether Anna was alone, and immediate family actions after her disappearance are unconfirmed ([07:55]-[10:17]).
• FBI involvement: Because the incident happened in international waters, they are handling the case, supported by video, electronic key card records, and digital footprints ([10:17]-[11:19], [24:31]).

4. Developments and Suspicions: Family Dynamics

• There is confusion over Anna's father's partner's marital status (stepmother/girlfriend), and her ongoing custody/divorce disputes ([05:18]-[05:58]).
• The main investigative theory is that a minor stepsibling (initials T.H., believed to be 16) may have been involved.
  • The FBI has not confirmed this, but a custody motion filed by the stepmother referenced possible charges pending against her child ([18:39]-[22:30]).
  • Supposedly, a (since deleted) social media post by a family associate accused the stepbrother of the crime and claimed he slept on the bed after hiding Anna's body ([20:32]).
• The stepmother’s legal filings may have inadvertently made the investigation public, drawing criticism for their explicitness ([22:36]-[23:51]).

5. Legal Procedures and Juvenile Justice

• If the teen is charged (possibly with homicide), he could be tried as an adult due to his age (16), facing up to 30 years without parole ([31:25]-[31:50]).
• FBI involvement is standard for major crimes in international waters ([32:02]-[32:28]).

6. Unanswered Questions and Public Appeal

• Rooming arrangements, sequence of family actions after Anna left dinner, and conflicting reports of how her body was found (maid vs. possible stepsibling confession) remain unresolved ([07:52]-[10:17], [28:33]).
• The hosts appeal to any cruise passengers with inside information to contact them ([30:08]-[30:35], [34:16]-[34:37]).

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Media Framing:

  "You'll never see 'band member'... it's always the cheerleader." — Emily ([04:26])

• On Family Reactions:

  "If Shelby left dinner early on a cruise and went to her room, would you not check on her that evening before?" — Emily ([09:51])

• Timely Legal Observation:

  "The Miami Dade County Medical examiner lists her time of death as 11:17am on November 7th... That does not make any sense." — Emily ([11:50]-[12:29])

• On Cruise Crime Scene Preservation:

  "You’re on a ship. You can't leave it in the room... you have to put the body somewhere cold before you get to your next port." — Emily ([13:35])

• On the Fallout of Legal Filings:

  "I would be livid if my attorney did that. Now the news is all over the place reporting my minor child is involved in an FBI investigation." — Emily ([23:35])

• On the Family Tragedy:

  "Now a family’s destroyed too... if one [sibling] was involved, their life is going to go down the drain." — Shane ([34:02])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Intro & Case Setup: [02:41]-[06:02]
• Anna's Last Night & Discovery: [06:02]-[09:13]
• Cruise Ship Complications: [09:13]-[14:22]
• Timeline & About the Family: [17:21]-[18:39]
• Suspect and Family Law Filing: [18:39]-[22:30]
• Discussion on Legal Thoroughness: [22:30]-[23:51]
• Juvenile Homicide Laws: [31:25]-[32:02]
• Anna’s Life & Family Statement: [32:28]-[34:13]
• Closing & Call for Information: [34:16]-[34:37]

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Episode Tone & Style

Emily and Shane maintain a conversational, candid tone—mixing legal rigor, skepticism, and personal reflection. They openly speculate when facts are lacking, are attentive to ethical and legal nuances, and express genuine empathy for Anna’s family. Occasional humor relieves tension, but the overall mood is somber given the tragic subject matter.

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Conclusion

This episode provides a thorough recap of what is publicly known about Anna Kepner’s death as of November 2025, emphasizing both the complexity of cruise ship investigations and the uncertainty that surrounds the case. The hosts promise to follow the story as new details emerge and invite listeners (especially those with direct knowledge) to contribute.

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Transcript

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[Emily Simpson]

Hi guys. Welcome to a new episode of Legally Brunette. I will be your host, Emily Simpson with Shane. We wanted to do a bonus episode this Week. Because if you have been on social media or looking at the news at all, I am sure you have seen this new developing case of a young high school girl named Anna Kepner who was just found a couple weeks ago. She was found dead on the Carnival cruise ship Horizon. Now I think it's interesting that we've, we did the Amy Bradley case, which was the disappearance off of a cruise ship. I just want to cruise this summer with the boys. And now we have another cruise ship incident. So I'm feeling at this point maybe it's best to stay far away, to stay on land at this point. So Anna Kepner was an 18 year old high school senior from Titusville, Florida. According to her family, Anna was a varsity cheerleader. She was also a gymnast and she had recently completed the entrance test to join the US Military. Now I have a question, what your thoughts are on this? Because I was noticing that whenever something happens to a young pretty girl who is a cheerleader, that is always part of the newsreel. Cheerleader. And it's always part of the clickbait. Cheerleader, Young cheerleader. It doesn't ever say, I mean CBS technician.

[Shane]

No, there's never like it in the Delphi murder case.

[Emily Simpson]

Yes. I mean, not in the headlines though. But I'm saying whenever a girl is.

[Shane]

A cheerleader, appealing, it describes a personality, I think, albeit stereotypical.

[Emily Simpson]

So you're saying because of the bubbly.

[Shane]

Attractive, athletic, popular here, Catholic robs bank. You'll hear Mormon robs bank.

[Emily Simpson]

That is very true. You will always. Mormon will always be. Mormon will always be in. In the title of something because it's clickbait. And cheerleader will be in the title of something because it's clickbait as well. You'll never see band member. You know, there's nothing about people in the band, but always the cheerleader. Okay, so Anna was on a 16.

[Shane]

Yeah. Like, you mean like trumpet player?

[Emily Simpson]

Yes, like, yes. Like that's never. But if someone's a cheerleader, it's, it's always part of the title. So Anna was on a six day Carnival Horizon cruise with her father, stepmother and three step siblings when she died. That actually hasn't been confirmed, but that's basically what people are taking away from it, is that she was there with her dad, her biological dad. Also I've read in some articles and there's some controversy as to whether the dad is actually married to the stepmother. And if they are married, it's a very new marriage.

[Shane]

She'd have to be married in Order to be a stepmother. Otherwise it's his girlfriend. So if they.

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If she.

[Shane]

They are married, they're incorrectly referring to her as stepmother.

[Emily Simpson]

I think it's because nothing's been confirmed. So people are saying stepmom, but a lot of times, I mean.

[Shane]

Well, I actually, I think I can clarify this because I thought I read that the stepmother was currently in a divorce proceeding, and I assume that's with her former husband, her prior husband, not with the one. She was on the boat.

[Emily Simpson]

She's in custody. It's a custody issue.

[Shane]

Oh, it's a custody issue. I saw a divorce proceeding, slash child custody.

[Emily Simpson]

There might still be some pending divorce issues. And that might be why maybe they're not married. I don't know. And we'll talk about it a little bit later.

[Shane]

Well, I guess for purposes of our discussion, it doesn't really matter if they're married or not, right?

[Emily Simpson]

No, but it. I guess it. Either they're married and she's a stepmother, or they've been dating and she's a pseudo stepmother type. So anyway, that's who we think that this. That they were on the cruise with. But we're saying. I don't know if there's other members of the family. It hasn't been, like, officially confirmed by investigators who all was on the Cruz. But from rumblings on in articles and on social media, from your news source, from those news sources out there, boots on the ground. The boots on the ground are saying that it was the dad and then Anna and then his love interest, either his new wife or his girlfriend, and then her three children. So the cruise began on November 2nd and traveled from Miami to the Caribbean on the morning of November 7th. Let's go back to November 6th. I did read that on the evening of November 6th. This is as the cruise ship is heading into port, so I believe it's leaving Mexico or the Caribbean at this time. There was a dinner on the ship. You know how they have those white parties on the ship. You know, the cruise ships always have themes on in the Evening Times, right? There was a white party and there was a dinner. And from what I understand, people are reporting that Anna left the dinner early because she was saying she did not feel well. Now, as to where she went after that, clearly, and the FBI is investigating this.

[Shane]

So as far as we know, she left alone. Like, I'm not feeling well. She walked away.

[Emily Simpson]

I don't know. But I. That's just an assumption that maybe she left alone. But I. I have read multiple sources that said that she was not feeling well at that dinner and that she left. Now here's the question as well. I don't know the arrangement of the rooms on the cruise ship. I don't know if she had a room alone. I don't know if she was sharing with some siblings. I don't know if this family had a big suite and they were all in the same room.

[Shane]

Well, we don't know a lot of things about this case.

[Emily Simpson]

We don't kind of sucky about it right now.

[Shane]

Right.

[Emily Simpson]

But we're just going to talk about what we. Yeah.

[Shane]

And what we don't know.

[Emily Simpson]

What we kind of know. So on the morning of November 7th. Now remember she left the dinner on November 6th. She was found dead in her cabin by a housekeeper. Her body was wrapped in a blanket or a sheet and covered with life jackets and stuffed under a bed. First of all, those beds. First those beds. In a cruise ship, I've been on multiple cruises. It there's not room under the bed.

[Shane]

Like, like a hotel room. Right. There's no there. There's very little base goes all the way to the floor. There's like a baseboard around it. So that way you can't put stuff under there, like a body with life vests on top of it.

[Emily Simpson]

Right. So I'm thinking there's a couch that.

[Shane]

Maybe opened up or something.

[Emily Simpson]

That was it. Because when, when the boys and I went, we did have like a fold out bed that Luke slept on. So maybe it was something like that.

[Shane]

That's what I pictured.

[Emily Simpson]

Yeah. So also her body was found around 11am by a maid because everyone on the ship was looking for Anna at this. The way I understand it is she left dinner early because she wasn't feeling well. The next morning all the family wakes up and they all go to breakfast and they realize that Anna is there.

[Shane]

And at this point we don't know if they shared a room or not. We just know.

[Emily Simpson]

I don't know how the rooms were divvied up. I don't know the arrangement. They go to breakfast the next morning and that's when everyone's kind of realizing.

[Shane]

That she didn't show up.

[Emily Simpson]

She's not showing up for breakfast and they don't know where she is. Also There are nearly 4000 people on this ship and 1500 crew. So this is a mini city that's floating around. So can you imagine if you lose someone on the ship like we talked about with the Amy Bradley case? It is a lot of ground decks, spaces to cover to find Someone.

[Shane]

Well, in this case, with the. So far, the way you've laid out the timeline, which I know we don't have all the details, if you show up at breakfast and your 18 year old daughter isn't there, how would you first look for her?

[Emily Simpson]

Well, I would immediately start calling, texting and go directly to her room.

[Shane]

So my question is, did they do any of that?

[Emily Simpson]

I don't know. You know, my other question is, and I'll ask you, because you have children of every age group, you have older daughters, and then the three we have together, let's say Shelby left dinner early on a cruise and went to her room, would you not check on her that even before she is 24?

[Shane]

Yeah, I would. I would follow up that evening, how are you doing?

[Emily Simpson]

Right.

[Shane]

And the siblings would.

[Emily Simpson]

Right.

[Shane]

Naturally run into her or you know, chat with her or something. There'd be some interaction.

[Emily Simpson]

Right. So my question is, and we don't know this, was anyone checking in on her? Were they texting? Did they go by her room? I mean, if she left and are not feeling well, what happened after that? So obviously we don't know any of this. You know, right now the FBI is investigating this because this happened in international waters, so there's federal jurisdiction. So this is why the FBI is involved. I'm sure right now at this point they're pulling every bit of surveillance video that they can find on the ship that she's in.

[Shane]

Oh, yeah, there's going to be a camera on every corner in that boat.

[Emily Simpson]

Right. And they're also doing everything possible to.

[Shane]

Pull all the key card and text messages.

[Emily Simpson]

And text messages.

[Shane]

And all the digital footprint.

[Emily Simpson]

All the digital footprint, exactly. And they're piecing that all together to probably put together a very detailed timeline of exactly where she was, where she went, who was with her, how long ago.

[Shane]

Remind me.

[Emily Simpson]

The Bradley case, that was in 90 or 89.

[Shane]

Okay, so see, technology has significantly crazy. There's gonna be cameras on every corner. High quality.

[Emily Simpson]

Right.

[Shane]

Documentary recording, text messages, phone calls.

[Emily Simpson]

Right. And I like sticky cards. Yeah, it's very easy. I'm just guessing. I'm not like a video expert, but I assume that you can probably upload an image of her into some type of software where it can specifically look for her face. Like facial recognition. So I'm sure that's what's going on right now. Why did you just look at me like I was an idiot when I said that?

[Shane]

Good facial recognition.

[Emily Simpson]

Yeah. Right.

[Shane]

It was impressive.

[Emily Simpson]

Oh, thank you. Are you just blown away right now that I Said that.

[Shane]

I'm not blown away, but it's interesting that you notice that also.

[Emily Simpson]

So the Miami Dade County Medical examiner lists her time of death as 11:17am on November 7th. You know, I read this over and over in the articles, and I was so confused by this because the timeline is November 6th, she leaves dinner. November 7th, she's not at breakfast. November 7th at 11:00am the maid finds her. And then at 11:17am it says it's her time of death. I don't think that's accurate. I think that's the time that she was examined by someone on board, a medical examiner or someone, and declared her dead at 11:17am isn't that how it always works, though?

[Shane]

What do you mean?

[Emily Simpson]

I'm saying that's not the time of death. I'm saying.

[Shane]

No, that was a time declared dead.

[Emily Simpson]

Yes.

[Shane]

Yes.

[Emily Simpson]

Because there's a lot of articles that are. That are reporting that her time of death was 11:17am yeah. That does not make any sense.

[Shane]

She was found dead.

[Emily Simpson]

She was found. She was dead at 11am she was declared dead at 11:17. That's not the actual time of death. Death. That's just when someone.

[Shane]

I'm guessing your point is we may never know the actual time of death because now the body's just thrown in a morgue. And if it's preserved, I don't know if they can still determine the time of death.

[Emily Simpson]

Right. You know, that is another thing to talk about. You're talking about a cruise ship, which is a moving city. Now, if someone dies in a house under suspicious circumstances, you leave the body where it is and then you call police, csi.

[Shane]

That's what I usually do.

[Emily Simpson]

Yes. That's what you do when you find dead bodies, right?

[Shane]

I don't touch them.

[Emily Simpson]

Right, you don't touch it. And then the crime scene investigators come, they don't move the body. They take the photos.

[Shane]

This is an unusual circumstance.

[Emily Simpson]

This is an unusual circumstance. So her body was clearly moved as soon as it was found because.

[Shane]

I don't know, Was it?

[Emily Simpson]

I believe so.

[Shane]

Sometime after it was found.

[Emily Simpson]

Right. Because first of all, you're on a ship. You can't leave it in the room because you're sailing through the Caribbean.

[Shane]

It's hot, 100 degrees out, obviously, but I don't know what the procedure. But I guess the procedure would be in lieu of keeping it secured, the way it is preserved, you know, mounts a ton of photos, preserving the evidence, putting them in bags, labeling where it was found so you don't lose a chain of custody. I don't know what they did, though.

[Emily Simpson]

But I, I doubt any of that was done because you don't, you don't.

[Shane]

Have the maid probably finished cleaning.

[Emily Simpson]

The, the maid probably called someone and, you know, and then the medical examiner. There's always a doctor on the ship. Right. So then the doctor prob. And declared her dead. And then. I'm sure I didn't know this, but they're all cruise ships have some kind of morgue on them.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Emily Simpson]

Because people die on cruise ships, so you have to have somewhere to preserve the body in a cold space before you get to your next port.

[Shane]

It's right downstairs next to the galley, usually.

[Emily Simpson]

What's the galley?

[Shane]

Isn't that where they cook?

[Emily Simpson]

I don't know. There's lots of decks. There's lots of cooking going on.

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[Sophie Cunningham]

This is Sophie Cunningham from Show Me Something. Do you know the symptoms of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA in adults with obesity? They may be happening to you without you knowing. If anyone has ever said you snored loudly or if you spend your days fighting off excessive tiredness, irritability and concentration issues, it may be due to osa. OSA is a serious condition where your airway partially or completely collapses during sleep, which may cause breathing interruptions and oxygen deprivation. Learn more at don'tsleep on OSA.com this information is provided by Lilly, a medicine company.

[Emily Simpson]

Okay. Anyway, we were talking about when you're, when the body's on a cruise ship, you don't have a normal investigation like you would if someone died in a house.

[Shane]

Right.

[Emily Simpson]

Because you're it's a city moving on the water.

[Shane]

The amount of investigation they can do.

[Emily Simpson]

The bodies and you know, they're floating in water, it's going through the Caribbean, it's 100 degrees out, there's humidity. So I'm sure I don't know this, but I would suspect that they immediately moved the body to the morgue of the ship.

[Shane]

Right. We can only hope that they preserved by video or photography or something and documenting everything.

[Emily Simpson]

Right. And then so that was on November 7th. Then November 8th is when the cruise ship docked back into its port in Miami. And there I actually saw some video of the body being removed from the ship and put into the medical examiner's van. All right, so let's talk about there is a possible suspect out there as of right now. So criminal charges may be filed against one of Anna's step siblings who is a minor. This actually came up onto the radar because the FBI has not said anything and has not released any information. Also the dad, which says something. Yes.

[Shane]

If they don't release information and they're not talking about it, that means they know something and they're looking into it.

[Emily Simpson]

They don't want it out there.

[Shane]

They want to. Yeah. They don't want to spoil it or cause someone to flee.

[Emily Simpson]

Also, the father, Chris Ker, has said that he does not know anything and he has very little information and that they're just basically waiting to hear things. But in an emergency motion filed on Monday, November 17 and Brevard County, Florida, Kepner's stepmom, her name is Chantel Hudson, requested to delay divorce proceedings from her ex husband because of, quote, an extremely sensitive and severe circumstance and cited Quote, the respondent. She's the respondent, he's the petitioner, which means her ex is the one that is filing. He's the moving party. So she's responding. There are discussions with FBI investigators and her attorneys that a criminal case may be initiated against one of her minor children. So the court filing identifies the teenager with the initials T.H. and according to documents, he is living with a relative. In the meantime, to protect the safety of his younger sister and his other siblings. I read that he's 16. I don't know if that's accurate because they haven't released any information. But of course, there's a lot of online sleuths out there. I'm sure there's some family that is talking. I also read his name is Tem. I don't know if that's true either, but it does say his initials are T.H. and that he's 16. Now, the question is, was he sharing a room with her? Did he go back with her? Because I did also read, and this was from a post by someone that claims to be part of their family. His name's Martin Donahue. Everybody's kind of talking about this. Martin Donahue made a post on Twitter, I believe, talking about the incident and saying that Anna was murdered by one of her step siblings and that after he beat her and wrapped her in blankets and put her under the bed and then covered her with all the life jackets and everything, that then he slept on the bed that night and stayed the night.

[Shane]

Well, this is all speculated. We don't really know this.

[Emily Simpson]

No, we don't. But I'm just talking about what he has posted. And then it has been. I know there were some other people that did some investigating. Apparently the name Donahue is part of the family. There's a lot of Donahues that follow her on social media and things like that.

[Shane]

So did he hire the Murdog firm to represent him?

[Emily Simpson]

No, I don't know. But anyway, after he made this post, he did take it down. So a lot of people are talking about the validity of it, whether he's actually part of the family. He did seem to know a lot of details about the incident. So, you know, here's the thing, too. Chantal, who is the set mom if it was her son that committed this act against Anna, and then she's married to Anna's father. I mean, talk about, I mean, how.

[Shane]

Do you stay grounds for a divorce?

[Emily Simpson]

I mean, how do you continue to stay married to someone? I mean, talk about just a horrible familial situation going on.

[Shane]

Oh, yeah. Well.

[Emily Simpson]

So the post I was talking about by Martin Donahue has since been deleted. While no charges have been filed publicly, the motion explicitly states that the possibility of charges against a minor sibling are pending. So that's why everyone is now knowing that this sibling is possibly the instigator or the perpetrator of this crime against Anna is because of a separate family law issue where the stepmom has custody and divorce proceedings going on with her other ex, who is the father of the three siblings. And she's asking just in layman's terms, because what I read was legal terms. In layman's terms, she's saying, hey, I don't want to go to court and show up and talk about custody issues and divorce proceedings that have to do with my children. I'm going to. I want to take the fifth because one of these minor children might be incriminated. Might be. Right. And is involved in this FBI investigation. So we need to continue this.

[Shane]

Like a question might be, does your son get along with his stepsister?

[Emily Simpson]

Right.

[Shane]

So have they ever fought before?

[Emily Simpson]

Exactly. So that's what she's asking for. We don't know the outcome of that. I guess a judge has to rule on that. So we'll continue to follow that. So Adam Pollock is a defense attorney who reviewed the case, and he said in regards to Anna's stepmother, quote, she has not identified herself as a target of a criminal investigation. She basically said that she's afraid that anything she could say could be used against her children. I think Ms. Hudson, that's the stepmother, has now propelled her children into the new spotlight needlessly. The FBI was not broadcasting that they were conducting a criminal investigation of the children. You know, that was my other thought, too, was by putting that in black and white explicitly in her divorce slash custody battle over here in this family law case.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Emily Simpson]

People found that.

[Cal Penn]

That.

[Emily Simpson]

You know what I mean?

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Emily Simpson]

I mean, I don't know if the attorney. If that was smart of the attorney to draft that that way.

[Shane]

Yeah, but then alternatively, it would have been. She'd have to testify or be deposed.

[Emily Simpson]

No, but I'm saying he could have asked for maybe ex parte hearing in front of the judge or in like a closed hearing or something. I'm just saying he explicitly put in the documents that the minor child was involved in an FBI investigation, and now everyone's all over that.

[Shane]

Yeah.

[Emily Simpson]

I'm saying I think there was a way to do that without putting it out there. But, I mean, that's what the attorney did. I would be. I would be livid if my attorney did that. Now the news are all over the place reporting that my, you know, minor child was. Is involved in an FBI investigation. I'm saying that was all under wraps until the family law attorney drafted that and filed it with the court. And now it's all out there. Right. So investigators are now reviewing surveillance video from the ship and analyzing electronic swipe card data, which we talked about, that may show who entered the teen's cabin. Law enforcement officials are saying they are also examining.

[Shane]

I wonder if the teen's cabin means it was hers as opposed to the family's cabin.

[Emily Simpson]

Well, I'm assuming that this family went on the ship and that the mom and dad shared a room, and then the siblings somehow share a room or shared two rooms.

[Shane]

Rooms, maybe. So, yeah.

[Emily Simpson]

So. But I just. We don't know exactly how it was broken up, but I. Or maybe she was in a room alone and then the other three siblings shared a room.

[Shane]

Because if there was a room being shared, then that would paint a different picture as to what could have happened or the timeline of events. And if that was her room only, again, that would be different questions. So it's like if she shared a room and be like, well, when's the last time someone saw her? When they went to breakfast, why didn't she go with them? Or was she there? And then if she had her room alone, that would explain why they all showed up at breakfast without her, assuming she would be there. But then they would also. My question would be, did they go to the room? That's what I would do. Go to the room, call her, text her. Right. Not just go to the authorities and say, my daughter's missing.

[Emily Simpson]

Yeah.

[Shane]

Which I don't know if that's what they did, but. Right.

[Emily Simpson]

Well, we don't have a clear timeline, obviously, of. Of what has happened.

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[Emily Simpson]

I also read and saw some podcasts where people were alleging that they had heard that the minor son confessed to his stepmother that she was not alive and then that's how she was found. But that conflicts with the reporting that the maid found her. So again, there's just a lot of.

[Shane]

We usually have these true crime homicides where there's a lot of questions. Yeah, this takes the cake. This is one where we have a lot of questions and hopefully we can develop. It can develop and we can start to Address those.

[Emily Simpson]

Well, this is because it's very new, actually. Her memorial is on the 20th. And then, I don't know, maybe there'll be more information released. The issue is you're dealing with minors and you're dealing with a cruise ship. And they have to gather all their evidence. So that's where we're at. So what happens?

[Shane]

Yeah, that's a tough one. But I bet you that's why it's under wraps, because they're gathering a lot of data and they don't want anyone to say anything one way or another until they have what they know on their end. And then they can ask the proper questions. Then they can really see what they want to the public to see if the public has anything to ask.

[Emily Simpson]

Bad. You know what else I was thinking with a cruise ship, first of all, you've got 4, 000 people on the ship. Then it docks in Miami, right, on November 8th, and everybody leaves the cruise ship.

[Shane]

5500 people, right? Was it 4000 plus 1500 crew members.

[Emily Simpson]

Right. So we've got, yes, close to over 5, 000 people on this ship. It docks in Miami on November 8th. Everybody leaves a cruise ship. Now the FBI has to hunt down everybody that was rooming next to her. Right. Or may have seen something.

[Shane]

I mean, they're gonna certainly. But they may not know who that is until they review all the data.

[Emily Simpson]

Right. But I'm saying now I know there.

[Shane]

Was a murder when they docked.

[Emily Simpson]

I don't know. That's a good question. I don't know if anybody was on the cruise ship that is listening to this. Can you please DM me and give me the inside scoop? Were you aware that there. That there was a. A girl that had died? Were you aware that she was possibly murdered? It was ruled homicide. We know that. I don't know. I just wanted. I need more details. I need some inside information.

[Shane]

Where was this cruise based out of? For Florida.

[Emily Simpson]

It went Miami to Caribbean and then back to Miami, I believe.

[Shane]

You wonder if a funny thought would be like, if someone was on the poop cruise and then they got a voucher to go on another cruise, and then they go on the murder cruise.

[Emily Simpson]

Yes. And they have, right? And they're like, I'm done with cruises. So what happens when a juvenile is involved in a homicide? So when a juvenile is involved in the death of another person, whether the act was intentional or accidental, they can be charged under the broad category of criminal homicide, which covers all unlawful killings in serious cases, especially when the youth is 16 or older, the court may move the case from the juvenile system to adult criminal court. That was another thing I was thinking about, because even though this isn't confirmed, I read that this alleged, you know, the homicide, the, you know, perpetrator, the person of interest.

[Shane]

Suspect.

[Emily Simpson]

Yes. The suspect. Thank you. Is 16, which. That's a pivotal age because he could possibly be tried as an adult. So when a minor is accused of murder, which is when someone deliberately takes another person's life or when they intentionally inflict serious harm that would reasonably be expected to result in death, a conviction can carry a mandatory minimum sentence of around 30 years with no opportunity for parole during that period.

[Shane]

Dang.

[Emily Simpson]

In situations involving particularly vulnerable victims, for example, a child under 14 who was sexually abused before being killed or when the victim is a link law enforcement officer.

[Shane]

None of which applies to this minor. Right.

[Emily Simpson]

The punishment can increase significantly. Right. So why does the FBI have to deal with matters that happen on cruise ships while in international waters, like in the Amy Bradley?

[Shane]

Well, because there's no state that has jurisdiction.

[Emily Simpson]

Right, right.

[Shane]

I mean. I mean, in layman's terms, which is all we really need to know is they're not within a state there, and in this circumstance, it took place while in the waters, not at a port or anything. So the FBI steps in.

[Emily Simpson]

Exactly. So what does Anna's family said? So it her obituary read, quote, anna was pure energy, bubbly, funny, outgoing, and completely herself. She never had a filter, and that was part of her charm. Whether she was practicing new makeup looks, even if she had nowhere to go, making tiktoks in front of the mirror, or blasting a perfectly curated playlist on the boat, Anna lived every day with her whole heart. She loved the sun, the water, boat days, island days, and beach days. Anything that let her soak in the light she so easily radiated to others. Her relatives find comfort in knowing. Anna lived her 18 years to the fullest. She was an athlete who began gymnastics at the age of two and later joined her high school varsity cheerleading team. She loved being near the water, earning her boater's license and scuba certification, and enjoyed shopping, makeup, and spending time with friends. Anna was especially close to her grandmother, her family has said, who affectionately called her Anna Banana. And I've seen a lot of videos because she liked to make TikTok videos. And she had gone on a cruise prior to the one that she had died on, I believe back in May of this year with her grandfather and grandmother for her birthday. And it was cute. I saw a lot of her videos that she made. Her grandfather was in the background and her grandmother was in some. And so, you know, it's just, it's such a sad situation that this bright 18 year old that was gonna go into the military, that had this, this full life ahead of her to live, goes on a cruise, which clearly is one of her favorite things to do, and something horrible happened to her.

[Shane]

Well, now a family's destroyed too. You know, father's without a daughter, the mother and the siblings, one, if one was involved, they're gonna be, you know, their life is gonna go down the drain. So.

[Emily Simpson]

Right. So. Well, thank you for listening and if.

[Shane]

You haven't gotta have some more updates, right? Hopefully.

[Emily Simpson]

Well, no, we're going to continue to follow this case. This is clearly the tip of the iceberg. I mean, once someone. I am assuming that there will be an arrest that comes at some point and there'll be more information that comes out. And we will follow this case and keep you updated on it. But thank you for listening. If you have any inside information, please DM me. I would love to hear from someone.

[Shane]

You know who did it.

[Emily Simpson]

Yes, I would love to hear from someone that was on the Horizon Cruise November 2nd through the 8th. On the Horizon. The carnival ship, the Horizon. So if you're out there, please reach out to me. And again, you guys, thank you so much for listening. And just a reminder, we are on our own feed now, Legally Brunette. So all you have to do is Google Legally Brunette. It should take you right to our feed. You can listen to all of our episodes there. And also we still have a couple episodes that go into two T's. So make sure you continue to listen to two T's and you can find some of our episodes there as well. So thank you so much for listening. We appreciate you.

[Shane]

Thank you.

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[Cal Penn]

Hey, audiobook lovers, I'm Cal Penn.

[Shane]

I'm Ed Helms.

[Cal Penn]

Ed and I are inviting you to join the best sounding book club you've ever heard with our new podcast, Earsay, the Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club.

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Listen to Earsay on America's number one podcast network, iHeart. Follow Earsay and start listening on the free iHeartradio app today.

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[Emily Simpson]

This is where mindset comes in.

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[Emily Simpson]

Pressure is coming down.

[Cal Penn]

Trainer Games on Prime Video January 8th. Watch the trailer on trainergames.com Season 2.

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