The tragic death of an 18-year-old cheerleader aboard a Carnival cruise ship has been officially classified as a homicide.
Anna Kepner, a teenager from Florida, passed away on November 7 while on a Caribbean cruise with her family, including her father, stepmother, and two step-siblings.
As the Carnival Horizon ship was heading back to Miami, her body was discovered by the staff. According to ABC, she was found wrapped in a blanket and covered with life vests.
A recent development in the case involves a death certificate obtained by ABC7 from Kepner’s family, indicating that her death resulted from “mechanical asphyxia.” The injury date is recorded as November 6, though the exact time remains unspecified.
The document specifies that the young woman “was mechanically asphyxiated by other person(s).”
There have been no additional autopsy or toxicology reports made public, and both the Miami-Dade medical examiner and the FBI have withheld further information.
Kepner’s body was discovered by a housekeeper under a bed on the Carnival Horizon during the family cruise, which she was on with her father, stepmother, stepsiblings, and grandparents.
The FBI is spearheading the investigation into her death, which took place in international waters.
While the FBI has not commented on the ongoing investigation conducted alongside local law enforcement, unrelated family court documents uncovered by CBS suggest that Kepner’s family suspects her 16-year-old stepbrother may be involved in the investigation.
Documents filed in Brevard County, Florida, on November 18, as part of custody proceedings related to stepmother Shauntel Hudson’s previous marriage, indicate that she requested a pause in the process after being informed that one of her children was involved in the investigation.
The court documents claim Hudson has been informed by FBI investigators and her attorneys that a criminal case may be pursued against one of the minor children involved in the current case.
The filings state that Hudson cannot provide testimony at present due to the ‘extremely sensitive and severe circumstance’ surrounding Kepner’s unexpected death.
Further documents submitted a day later identify 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,” according to the filing from stepmother Hudson.
The 16-year-old is presently staying with another family member to ensure the safety of his siblings during the ongoing investigation, and his biological father has offered to provide legal representation.
No charges have been filed as of now.