What the Law Can—and Can’t—Explain in the Death of Anna Kepner

The death of 18-year-old Anna Kepner is not just another tragic case — it’s a collision of panic, secrecy, and a blended family imploding in real time. Found hidden under a bed on a cruise ship, wrapped and concealed, Anna’s final moments are surrounded by unanswered questions and emotionally charged reactions from nearly every member of her family. Tonight on Hidden Killers, I sit down with retired FBI Special Agent Robin Dreeke to cut through the noise and focus on the behavioral reality inside that small cabin. Because cases like this aren’t just about evidence — they’re about human choices under pressure. We look at the concealment: Why was Anna hidden? What does that typically signal in juvenile behavior? Where is the line between immaturity-driven panic and intentional wrongdoing? We examine the claim from the grandmother that the 16-year-old “doesn’t remember what happened.” Is that trauma? Dissociation? Avoidance? Or something investigators hear when the truth is too overwhelming to say out loud? We explore what happens when adults make catastrophic decisions — like placing teenagers with known tension in the same sleeping quarters — and how that shapes what happens next. And then there’s the public chaos: the stepmother pleading the Fifth, the biological mother spiraling on social media, relatives accusing each other, all while a teen girl is gone. Robin breaks down how investigators filter useful behavior from emotional theater and why public performance can sometimes be a clue in itself. This is the interview that strips away the speculation and digs into the actual human behavior behind the headlines. If you want clarity instead of noise, depth instead of rumor — you’re in the right place. #HiddenKillers #AnnaKepnerCase #CruiseShipInvestigation #RobinDreeke #BehaviorAnalysis #TrueCrimeBreakdown #CrimePsychology #FBIExpert #JuvenileInvestigation #FamilyChaos 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 Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

26 Nov 27min

When 18-year-old Anna Kepner was found hidden under a bed inside a cruise ship cabin, the story immediately drew national attention — not because of what investigators discovered, but because of all the things they didn’t. No intruder. No external threat. No clear cause of death. Just a 16-year-old stepsibling who now sits at the center of a legal and emotional storm. Tonight on Hidden Killers, we dig into the legal tensions surrounding this case — the gaps, the unknowns, the strict limitations of the juvenile system, and the uncomfortable reality that many of these answers may never become public. With attorney and former prosecutor Bob Motta, we explore every realistic scenario investigators must consider: accident, panic, trauma, a moment of fear that spiraled, an altercation without intent, a medical event mishandled, or an intentional act. The law doesn’t get to pick the neat version — it has to test all of them. We also break down the implications of the stepson’s claim that he “doesn’t remember what happened.” Legally, that can indicate trauma, shock, dissociation, or a panic-response blackout — all of which dramatically complicate the question of charges. Because intent matters. Mechanism matters. And mental state matters. We look at why certain charges are possible, why some are unlikely, and why others — like premeditated murder — simply don’t fit the known facts. And we explain the Fifth Amendment move by the stepmother: a headline-grabbing moment that creates more confusion than clarity. Most importantly, we dive into the biggest question: how does a case like this realistically end? A juvenile plea? Treatment? No charges? Or a sealed resolution the public will never see? This case is heartbreaking, confusing, and bound by legal blinders that make it even harder to understand. But tonight, we break down what the law actually says — not what the internet assumes. #AnnaKepner #CruiseCase #HiddenKillers #TrueCrimeToday #LegalBreakdown #JuvenileCase #BobMotta #CrimeAnalysis #JusticeSystem #InvestigationUpdate 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 Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

26 Nov 25min

This is the story Wisconsin never wanted to explain — how the girl who nearly took a child’s life in the infamous Slender Man attack was quietly moved into a suburban neighborhood, supervised by nothing more than a plastic ankle monitor, and somehow slipped across state lines with a grown man before anyone sounded the alarm. Tonight, we’re taking you through the full timeline of how Morgan Geyser — the attacker in the Slender Man stabbing — went from a secure psychiatric institution to a residential street in Madison. Not because she “served her time,” but because judges, doctors, and state agencies convinced themselves she was ready for “community reintegration,” despite red flags that would stop any other case in its tracks. We dig into the decisions that opened the door:  • The court rulings that shifted her from a locked facility to a group home.  • The warnings about disturbing reading material and troubling outside contacts.  • The placement that got scrapped after residents found out who was coming.  • The next placement, quietly sealed by the court to avoid public backlash.  • The neighborhood full of families who had no idea she had moved in.  • And the ankle-monitor alert that DOC brushed off as a “device glitch” while she walked freely into the night. And then — the escape.  A missing GPS signal.  A 12-hour communication delay.  A 42-year-old man by her side.  And a capture behind a truck stop in Illinois after officers realized the woman they found didn’t want to say her name because she’d “done something really bad.” This isn’t just a story about an escape. It’s a story about a system that trusted a fragile treatment plan more than it trusted the memory of what she had already done. It’s about the gap between courtroom optimism and real-world danger. And it’s about how the people most affected — the victim’s family, the neighbors, and the public — were kept in the dark until everything fell apart. If you’ve ever wondered how someone with a violent, delusion-driven history ends up living quietly next to families with no warning, this breakdown will answer that — and raise questions Wisconsin will be forced to confront. #SlenderManCase #MorganGeyser #TrueCrimeNews #HiddenKillers #CrimeAnalysis #JusticeSystem #Wisconsin #CrimeBreakdown #PublicSafety #TrueCrimeToday 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 Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

26 Nov 25min

Tonight on Hidden Killers, we’re breaking down the most disturbing new revelations in the disappearance of 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard — details so bizarre, so psychologically alarming, that they raise one unavoidable question: How is this woman still free? According to exclusive new reporting and a lengthy interview with the one man Ashlee Buzzard actually talked to, we now have a window into the chaotic, paranoid, and deeply fractured mental state that may have shaped the final days before Melodee vanished. And while law enforcement continues to dig through multiple states looking for answers, these new details shine a harsh spotlight on the crisis unfolding inside the mind of the one person who refuses to explain anything: Melodee’s mother. Ashlee allegedly told this man she handed her daughter over to strangers she met at a zoo. She couldn’t provide names, numbers, addresses — nothing. She claimed these strangers kept changing the drop-off location across multiple states because they were “paranoid about being followed.” She said she once had their contact information… and then said she didn’t. She insisted she needed to leave her daughter with them for “a month or two” so she could recover from an outpatient procedure. And then it gets worse. She allegedly talked about fake license plates and how to order them. She admitted she had swapped plates before — something investigators independently confirmed on the rental car she used during that cross-country trip. Inside her home, the man says he saw a pillow dressed in Melodee’s clothing — a hoodie, pants — arranged on the couch like a body, surrounded by photos torn from missing posters. She told him the house was bugged. That he was undercover law enforcement. She deleted her Amazon, her email, her bank accounts. She gave him keys to her house and storage unit and told him to prepare to empty her belongings because she expected to be arrested. This isn’t just suspicious behavior. This is a mental health crisis unfolding out loud. And yet — legally — nobody can force treatment, nobody can force an evaluation, and nobody can arrest her unless investigators can prove a crime. Tonight, we break down these new claims, the psychological patterns behind them, and what they reveal about the danger Melodee may have been living in long before she disappeared. Subscribe for ongoing updates in this rapidly evolving case. #MelodeeBuzzard #AshleeBuzzard #MissingChildren #HiddenKillers #TrueCrime #MentalHealthCrisis #CaseAnalysis #TonyBrueski #NewsNation #TrueCrimeCommunity 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 Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

26 Nov 14min

Tonight on Hidden Killers, we dive into one of the most emotionally volatile, psychologically tangled cases we’ve seen this year — the death of 18-year-old Anna Kepner, found hidden under a bed in a cruise ship cabin that was occupied only by members of her own blended family. No strangers. No intruders. No mystery figures in the hallway. Just a tight, enclosed space… and a family that’s now exploding in every direction. There’s a 16-year-old stepsibling publicly labeled a suspect. A stepmother invoking the Fifth Amendment. A biological mother unraveling publicly on TikTok. A grandmother claiming the teen “doesn’t remember” what happened and was an “emotional wreck.” And a father saying nearly nothing at all. This is where behavior becomes the story. So tonight, we’re joined by retired FBI Special Agent Robin Dreeke — not to talk law, not to assign guilt, but to break down the human behavior inside that cabin, inside that chaos, and inside the minds of everyone involved. Because concealment is a behavior. Panic is a behavior. “I don’t remember” is a behavior. And when the environment is a confined cruise cabin shared by teenagers and stepsiblings, the decisions made in those first minutes after a crisis are often far more revealing than the noise coming later on social media. We’re unpacking how investigators interpret concealment. How they distinguish panic from intent. How juveniles process fear, guilt, and confusion. Why a chaotic family can cloud a case — or inadvertently expose truths. And how the FBI cuts through emotional wildfire to focus on evidence, timelines, and authentic human reaction. If you want a breakdown of what behavior actually means in a case like this, this is the interview you don’t want to miss. #HiddenKillers #AnnaKepner #TrueCrimeNews #BehavioralAnalysis #RobinDreeke #FBIInsights #CrimeInvestigation #FamilyDynamics #JuvenileBehavior #TrueCrimeCommunity 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 Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

26 Nov 45min

The death of 18-year-old Anna Kepner inside a cruise cabin has become a legal puzzle that prosecutors may not be able to solve — not because they aren’t trying, but because the law requires clarity in places where this case offers almost none. On tonight’s episode of Hidden Killers, we dissect why the investigation into Anna's death is so stalled, so complicated, and so uniquely fragile. Attorney and former prosecutor Bob Motta joins us to break down the core legal obstacles that make this case unlike almost anything we’ve seen this year. First: the only other person in the room was a 16-year-old stepsibling. Second: there’s a claim of memory loss. Third: the autopsy still hasn't provided cause or manner of death. Fourth: the stepmother has invoked the Fifth Amendment, raising new questions without supplying any answers. Taken together, these factors create a prosecution minefield. We explore why proving intent is nearly impossible without a mechanism, why trauma-induced memory gaps complicate even the simplest charging decisions, why concealment doesn’t automatically indicate intent, and why the juvenile system adds layers of confidentiality that the public rarely understands. We also dive into the three most likely outcomes — and why none of them guarantee that the public will ever learn what truly happened inside that cabin. Was this panic? Fear? A sudden accident? A medical collapse? A moment of chaos that spiraled out of control? Or something darker? The law cannot guess. It needs evidence. And right now, the evidence paints a picture with more missing pieces than visible ones. Tonight, we cut through speculation and explain why this case is so legally fragile — and why the next steps may determine whether anyone is ever held accountable. Subscribe for more Hidden Killers coverage as this case continues to unfold. #AnnaKepner #HiddenKillers #TrueCrime #CruiseInvestigation #LegalAnalysis #BobMotta #JuvenileLaw #InvestigationUpdate #CrimeBreakdown #JusticeForAnna 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 Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

26 Nov 48min

This Thanksgiving, three of the most talked-about defendants in America are experiencing the holiday in a way most people never imagine: behind the walls of three very different prison systems. Bryan Kohberger. Sean “Diddy” Combs. Donna Adelson. Three names dominating headlines — now sharing the same institutional reality when the rest of the world gathers around family tables. In this episode, we take you inside what Thanksgiving actually looks like in prison. Not the fantasy version, not the movie version — the real, stripped-down version served on plastic trays under fluorescent lights. Idaho, federal, and Florida prisons all have their own rhythms, but the holiday formula barely changes: turkey, potatoes, vegetables, a roll, something resembling cranberry sauce, and a pumpkin-style dessert. It’s the kind of “holiday cheer” that reminds you you’re not home. For Bryan Kohberger, the man accused in the Idaho student murders, Thanksgiving happens alone in a maximum-security cell. No dining hall. No noise. No human contact. Just the vegan holiday tray delivered straight through a door — the same way every day does, only with slightly more starch. For Sean “Diddy” Combs, once the king of lavish parties and over-the-top holiday spreads, Thanksgiving unfolds in a massive federal chow hall at Fort Dix. Hundreds of men. Metal tables. Guards barking orders. And a government-issued turkey entrée that’s about as far from a celebrity feast as it gets. And for Donna Adelson — the former matriarch now serving life in Florida for her role in the Dan Markel murder plot — Thanksgiving is the Florida DOC classic: turkey slices, potatoes, corn, stuffing, pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce. A tray identical to the women on her left and right, many of whom lost far more than she ever imagined. Three people. Three scandal-ridden cases. One holiday that brings them all to the same reality: prison doesn’t stop for Thanksgiving… it just serves it on a tray. 👉 Subscribe for more true-crime breakdowns, expert insights, and the stories behind the headlines — only on Hidden Killers with Tony Brueski. #bryankohberger #diddy #donnaadelson #truecrime #hiddenkillers #prisonlife #thanksgiving #crimeanalysis #justice #tonybrueski 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 Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872

25 Nov 11min