Speculation intensifies in death of high schooler on cruise

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By KATE PAYNE, Associated press
The mysterious death of a high school cheerleader on a Carnival cruise ship earlier this month is drawing international attention and sparking intense speculation on social media.
As of Wednesday, authorities had not announced any criminal charges in the death of 18-year-old Anna Kepner. A final autopsy report detailing the cause and manner of death is still pending, according to the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner’s office.
Interest about Kepner’s death on the Carnival Horizon intensified after a court filing Monday in a separate case said the FBI is investigating her death and that a minor child may be implicated.
The documents were filed in a dissolution of marriage case between Thomas Hudson and Shauntel Hudson, who described Kepner’s father as her “paramour.” Kepner was traveling aboard the ship with Shauntel Hudson and her minor children.
A spokesperson for the FBI declined to comment, saying the agency “does not provide operational updates about ongoing investigations.”
An attorney for Hudson filed the emergency motion to delay a scheduled hearing on Monday, citing “the sudden death” of Kepner.
Hudson “has been advised through discussions with FBI investigators and her attorneys, that a criminal case may be initiated against one of the minor children,” the filing said.
Hudson’s attorney argued that her client cannot be compelled to testify, as any testimony Hudson may give “could be prejudicial to her or her adolescent child in this pending criminal investigation.”
Hudson did not immediately respond to email inquiries Wednesday. Email and phone messages were also left with her attorney.
An FBI spokesperson indicated that if or when charges are filed, they would come from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, which did not immediately respond to an inquiry Wednesday.
A memorial service for Kepner is scheduled for Thursday. Her family is urging attendees to wear colorful clothes instead of the traditional mourner’s black, “in honor of Anna’s bright and beautiful soul.”
Kepner’s obituary described her as someone who loved spending time on the water and said she was planning to graduate high school next year from Temple Christian School in Titusville, Florida, 40 miles east of Orlando on Florida’s Space Coast.
The Carnival Horizon can hold nearly 4,000 guests and sails to the Caribbean. Carnival Cruise Line said the ship returned to PortMiami on Nov. 8 as planned and the ship was working with the FBI Miami office to investigate the incident.
Associated Press writer Mike Schneider in Orlando, Florida contributed reporting. Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.