Close family member labelled as a suspect in cheerleader’s horrifying cruise-ship death

The death of a Florida teen on a Carnival cruise ship earlier this month is being investigated as a possible homicide, and her 16-year-old stepbrother has allegedly been identified as a suspect, according to newly filed court documents.

Federal agents are now looking into the death of 18-year-old Anna Kepner, who was discovered in her cabin aboard the Carnival Horizon cruise ship on the 7th November, while on holiday with her family.

According to two sources who spoke to the Daily Mail, it was a cabin maid who allegedly found the teen. They claim Anna was discovered just after 11.30am on the 7th November, wrapped in a blanket, covered with life jackets and pushed underneath a bed.

Her cause and manner of death remain pending with the Miami-Dade medical examiner, though the office confirmed her time of death as 11.17 am.

@fl.anna18 Real. #wonderingeyes #blue #viral #comment #fyp ♬ original sound – Amanda Simmons

Carnival returned to port the next day as scheduled, and said it is cooperating with the FBI’s Miami office. The cruise line added this week that there is “no related threat to safety aboard” the ship’s current sailing.

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According to court documents obtained by The Tab, the development about a suspect comes from an unrelated custody dispute involving Anna’s stepmother, Shauntel Hudson, and her ex-husband. In a report filed Monday, Hudson asked to pause testimony, saying “the 16-year-old child is now a suspect in the death of the step child during a cruise”.

A second filing the next day identified Hudson’s teenage son, referred to only by initials due to his age, as a suspect. The document also states that “the 16-year-old is child is residing with a third party”.

Court records show the custody battle includes allegations of domestic and physical abuse from both parents. Hudson accused her ex of abusing their two youngest children, including the teen now under investigation. Her ex, meanwhile, blamed their son’s current legal troubles on Hudson’s decision to keep him away from his father.

@fl.anna18 The way he says yes ma’am😍 #fyp #viral #happy #leavemealone ♬ Slow Drawl – Jenna Paulette

Jorge Colina, a former Miami police chief, told NBC News that investigators are going through the ship’s extensive CCTV system to reconstruct a timeline.

Anna, a cheerleader and high-school senior from Florida, was remembered as bubbly, loyal and fiercely herself. Her obituary described her as someone who dreamed of becoming a University of Georgia cheerleader before joining the US navy and becoming a K9 officer.

“She loved the sun, the water… anything that let her soak in the light she so easily radiated to others,” her family wrote. They also recalled her unfiltered charm and habit of sending random “I love you” messages.

The FBI has released no new information, and no one has been formally charged. The investigation remains active.

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Featured image credit: TikTok/@fl.anna18