MIAMI (WSVN) - Newly released information is shedding more light on the mysterious death of 18-year-old Anna Kepner as a court filing confirms the FBI investigation now involves Kepner’s teen step-brother.
Kepner, a Titusville teen described by her family as a straight-A student with plans to join the military, was discovered deceased on board the Carnival Horizon.
According to reports by the Daily Mail, she was found by a housekeeper underneath the bed in her cruise cabin, wrapped in a blanket and covered in life jackets.
The Horizon docked at PortMiami on Nov. 8, where the FBI’s Miami field office opened a federal investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death. Carnival Cruise Line has said it is fully cooperating with federal authorities.
Kepner was traveling with family members, including her stepmother, Shauntel Hudson, who was also accompanied by her own minor children.
In a newly filed emergency motion in Brevard County family court, Hudson’s attorney stated that the FBI has advised her that “a criminal case may be initiated against one of the minor children” who were on the cruise at the time of Anna’s death.
The FBI is investigating Kepner’s teenage step-brother. He has been labeled as a suspect in the investigation and is staying with a relative of his mother for the safety of the other children in the home.
The filing, submitted on Monday, seeks to postpone a scheduled court hearing on unrelated family-law matters, arguing that Hudson cannot testify without risking self-incrimination or jeopardizing the minor child in the federal probe.
Kepner’s family told ABC News she was a joyful and energetic young woman who lit up every room, volunteered in her community, competed in cheerleading and loved the water.
She was set to graduate high school next spring and had recently passed testing to enlist in the military.
Friends created a memorial around her parking spot at school, leaving stuffed animals and flowers in her honor.
Loved ones are expected to host a celebration of life for Kepner in Titusville on Thursday.
Neither the FBI nor Carnival have released details about what may have led to Kepner’s death, and no charges have been filed.
The investigation remains active.
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