According to court documents, a relative of the 18-year-old cheerleader who was found deceased on a Carnival cruise ship has emerged as a suspect in the investigation of her untimely death.
On November 7, Florida native Anna Kepner passed away while on a family trip through the Caribbean, accompanied by her father, stepmother, and two stepsiblings.
The Carnival Horizon ship was en route back to Miami when the staff discovered her body. ABC News reported that she was found wrapped in a blanket and surrounded by life vests.
Preliminary medical evaluations into the mysterious death of the Titusville cheerleader suggest she succumbed to asphyxiation, potentially due to a bar chokehold applied to her neck, where the attacker encircles the victim’s neck with their arm until they can no longer breathe.
Although the FBI has not commented on the ongoing investigation, which is being conducted in conjunction with local law enforcement, separate family court documents obtained by CBS indicate that Kepner’s family suspects her 16-year-old stepbrother is involved in the investigation.
On November 18, documents were filed in Brevard County, Florida, as part of custody proceedings related to the previous marriage of stepmother Shauntel Hudson. The documents requested a delay in the process, noting that Hudson had been informed that one of her children was involved in the investigation.
According to the documents, Hudson was told by FBI investigators and her attorneys that a criminal case might be initiated against one of the minors involved in the current action.
The filings noted that Hudson was unable to provide testimony at the moment due to the ‘extremely sensitive and severe circumstance’ surrounding Kepner’s sudden death.
Additional court documents from Brevard County, filed a day later, identified Hudson’s teenage son with the initials ‘T.H.’ as the individual being investigated in connection with the incident.
“There is an open investigation regarding [Kepner’s] death… and T.H. is a suspect regarding this death which occurred recently on a cruise ship,” the stepmother Hudson’s filing states.
The filings also indicate that the 16-year-old is presently staying with another family member for the safety of his siblings, with his biological father willing to arrange legal representation for him.
Kepner, who was eager to transition into adulthood as either a college cheerleader or by serving her community in the military, had shared a state room with her stepbrother and another stepsibling on the ship.
It is alleged that her 16-year-old stepbrother was permitted to consume alcohol once the Carnival ship reached international waters, as claimed by an attorney involved in the separate court proceedings. After the ship docked in Miami, he was taken to the hospital.
Federal agents and Carnival Cruise Line have neither confirmed the cause of the 18-year-old cheerleader’s death nor whether a crime occurred or charges will be filed.
Carnival issued a statement saying: “Our focus is on supporting the family of our guest and cooperating with the FBI.”