MIAMI (WSVN) - New court records and investigative details are shedding further light on the mysterious death of 18-year-old Anna Kepner aboard the Carnival Horizon, as a family court filing identifies her 16-year-old stepbrother as a suspect in the ongoing FBI investigation.
Kepner, a Titusville cheerleader who planned to join the military, was found dead Nov. 8 under a bed in her cabin, wrapped in a blanket and covered by life vests, according to a security source briefed on the case who spoke with ABC News.
The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner has not determined her cause or manner of death.
Investigators are examining whether an altercation may have occurred between Kepner and her stepbrother before her death, while also considering other possibilities such as a medical emergency or an overdose, the source told ABC News.
Agents are reviewing surveillance video, access-card records and other ship security data to determine who was near Kepner in the hours leading up to her death.
The Carnival Horizon docked at PortMiami the day Kepner’s body was discovered, prompting the FBI’s Miami field office to launch a federal investigation.
The FBI declined to comment Tuesday. Carnival Cruise Line said its focus remains “supporting the family of our guest and cooperating with the FBI.”
Kepner had been traveling with her stepmother, Shauntel Hudson, her father and Hudson’s children.
Days after the teen’s death, Hudson sought to delay a hearing in an unrelated Brevard County family court case, citing the federal investigation.
According to the filing, Hudson’s attorneys were informed that “a criminal case may be initiated against one of the minor children” who was on the cruise.
“If the FBI has told a stepmother that one of the siblings may be charged in this case then that means that there’s a greater likelihood obviously that they will be charged,” sad Brad Garrett, a former FBI agent. “We don’t know what the evidence is, let’s say, against one of the stepsiblings but the next procedure would be they issue an arrest warrant.”
The document notes Hudson “cannot be compelled to testify,” saying her statements could be prejudicial to her or her child in the criminal probe.
A separate emergency motion filed Monday by Thomas Hudson — the children’s father and Shauntel Hudson’s former spouse — states the couple’s 16-year-old son is now a suspect in Kepner’s death and is currently living with a third party after being released from custody.
The motion accuses Shauntel Hudson of denying court-ordered parenting time, failing to involve the father in major decisions and placing the children at risk, and seeks temporary custody of the youngest child.
Kepner’s loved ones described her to ABC News as joyful, energetic and deeply devoted to school, volunteering and cheerleading.
She was preparing to graduate this spring and had recently passed military entry testing.
A memorial at her high school parking space has grown with flowers and stuffed animals, and a celebration of life is planned Thursday in Titusville.
No charges have been filed, and federal authorities have not indicated whether Kepner’s death will ultimately be ruled a crime. The investigation remains active.
Copyright 2025 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.