Crime & Safety
Stepbrother ID'ed As Suspect In Death Of FL Teen Who Died On Cruise
The 18-year-old from FL died while aboard Carnival Horizon, and now, her stepbrother is named a suspect in her death, a media report says.
MIAMI, FL — The stepbrother of a Florida student recently found dead aboard a Carnival cruise ship has been identified as a suspect in connection with her death, NBC News reported Wednesday.
Authorities reportedly said 18-year-old Temple Christian School senior Anna Kepner, a Titusville native, died on Nov. 7 on Carnival Horizon. The ship headed to Miami after a trip to the Caribbean, ABC News previously reported.
A Monday court filing related to a past marriage of Shauntel Hudson, Kepner's stepmother, stated she can not presently testify "because the FBI alerted her that one of her children is being investigated by federal agents in relation to Kepner’s death," NBC News reported. The filing was made in Brevard County.
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The next day, a similar filing stated Hudson's teenage son was named a suspect in Kepner's death, the news outlet reportedly.
The son was only identified in the report as T.H. and is living with a relative for the safety of his other siblings, NBC News reported.
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Authorities have not released a cause or manner of death for Kepner.
RELATED: FL Student Dies Aboard Carnival Cruise Ship: Reports
Kepner, affectionally known as "Anna Banana" to her grandmother, was reportedly set to graduate in May and had just taken the exam to join the military.
“She was the best child you could ever meet,” her family told ABC News. “We'll always remember her for who she was.”
According to her obituary, Kepner "filled the world with laughter, love and light that reached everyone around her."
She enjoyed makeup, creating TikTok videos and going boating, her obituary read. Among her adorations were beach days.
"(Kepner) loved her siblings deeply and made sure they always felt it whether it be taking them to the park, Halloween Horror Nights, or just out for fun, because that’s who she was: thoughtful, nurturing, and always thinking of others. She had a big, beautiful heart, often sending random 'I love you' messages or little gestures that made someone’s day. Anna loved kids, dolphins, butterflies, arts and crafts, and doing puzzles with her Memaw. She had the best “blonde moments,” the kind that made everyone laugh," read her obituary.
The Miami-Dade County Examiner's Office is conducting the autopsy in this case, reports say.
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