After an 18-year-old girl was found dead, wrapped in a blanket and stuffed under a bed aboard a Carnival Cruise Line ship earlier this month, her teenage stepbrother could face charges, according to filings in Brevard County family court.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, as the FBI continues its investigation into the death of Anna Kepner, a motion was filed on Monday by the attorney of Kepner’s stepmother seeking to postpone a Dec. 17 hearing, part of a divorce proceeding, amid the investigation.
What led to Kepner’s death is still under investigation. Her stepmother, Shauntel Hudson, said that the investigation’s progress led to an “extremely sensitive and severe circumstance” arising, according to the outlet.
According to the filing, through discussions with FBI investigators and her attorneys that a criminal case may be initiated against one of the minor children” who went on the trip along with Kepner. Born in 2009, the teen is identified only by his initials as a suspect, other court records reviewed by the Orlando Sentinel show.
The Orlando Sentinel said the child’s father, meanwhile, “is believed to have hired counsel for the minor child due to the alleged incident involving” the teen, according to a response to the father’s motion for emergency relief. An FBI spokesperson did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
Carnival confirmed that Kepner, a senior at Temple Christian School in Titusville, died aboard the ship, which returned to PortMiami on November 10, and noted that the FBI is leading the investigation.
Hudson filed a motion to delay a custody hearing, confirming that the FBI is investigating the “sudden death” of Kepner. The filing states Hudson was on the cruise with Kepner, Kepner’s father, and Hudson’s minor children. The custody hearing, set for Dec. 17, had been scheduled in October before Kepner’s death, amid a dispute with Hudson’s ex-husband, who alleges she violated their shared parenting agreement, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
Authorities have not announced any charges, and the FBI has not indicated whether Kepner’s death is being treated as a homicide.
old as stepbrother faces potential charges
