Destroyed and Dumped’: FBI Says Teen Cruise Murder Suspect Tried to Hide Evidence After Anna Kepner’s Death

New court testimony has revealed disturbing details in the murder case involving 18-year-old Anna Kepner, who was found dead aboard a Carnival Cruise Line ship last year.

 

According to testimony presented by FBI Agent Andrew del Valle, investigators believe Anna’s 16-year-old stepbrother, Timothy Hudson, attempted to destroy key evidence after allegedly killing and sexually assaulting her during a Caribbean cruise aboard the Carnival Horizon.

Hudson is currently charged with murder and aggravated sexual abuse and is being prosecuted as an adult.

Anna was reported missing on Nov. 7, 2025, after she failed to respond to family members aboard the ship. Hours later, a housekeeper reportedly discovered her body wrapped in a blanket and hidden beneath a bed inside the cabin she shared with Hudson.

During a recent federal court hearing, del Valle testified that Anna’s cellphone became a major focus of the investigation because family members said she was “never without it.”

When FBI agents boarded the ship in Miami on Nov. 8, they immediately began searching for the missing device. After failing to locate it at first, investigators eventually recovered the phone from the ship’s lost and found after a crew member reported finding it in a trash can.

 

The phone was allegedly badly damaged.

According to del Valle, the screen was shattered and the device appeared to have been smashed intentionally. Despite the damage, FBI technicians were able to extract data from the phone and trace its movements across different parts of the ship after Anna’s death.

Investigators testified that the phone connected to four separate ship routers within a 20-minute span on the morning of Nov. 7. Surveillance footage allegedly showed Hudson appearing in all four locations during the same timeframe.

One clip reportedly captured Hudson standing near the trash can where the phone was later recovered for approximately 22 seconds before returning to his cabin.

Authorities also revealed that Anna’s Apple Watch remains missing.

However, investigators determined that the watch stopped recording her vital signs sometime between 7:50 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Nov. 6 — the night prosecutors believe the killing occurred.

 

Hudson was initially charged as a juvenile after his arrest in February 2026. Prosecutors later secured a superseding indictment that allowed him to be charged as an adult.

Federal prosecutors allege that Hudson “knowingly and unlawfully” carried out the “willful, deliberate, malicious and premeditated killing” of Anna during the commission of aggravated sexual abuse.

If convicted on both charges, Hudson could face two life sentences.

Despite prosecutors requesting detention, a judge ruled during a May hearing that Hudson could remain in the custody of a maternal uncle while awaiting trial.

The investigation remains ongoing as federal authorities continue analyzing digital evidence, surveillance footage, and forensic findings connected to the case.