The FBI is said to be mulling a potential ‘criminal case' against a stepsibling of the high school cheerleader mysteriously found dead on a Carnival cruise ship, the Daily Mail can exclusively reveal.
Anna Kepner, 18, was on a six-day Caribbean getaway with her family when she was declared dead in international waters between Mexico and Florida on November 7.
FBI agents swarmed the Carnival Horizon when it arrived at the Port of Miami a day later, but they are yet to disclose what happened to tragic Anna of Titusville, Florida.
Authorities have released few details of the investigation since, but on Monday, sources revealed that the straight-A student's body was found stuffed under a bed in her cabin, covered over with a blanket and life jackets.
Now, an emergency court motion obtained exclusively by the Daily Mail gives the strongest hint yet that investigators may suspect foul pay.
The document, filed by lawyers for Anna's stepmom Shauntel Hudson, 36 – who recently married the teen's dad, Chris Kepner – asks for more time to respond to recent filings related to her 2024 divorce citing an ‘extremely sensitive and severe circumstance'.
Hudson, who has an 18-year-old son and two minor children, goes on to say that one of the younger kids faces a potential criminal prosecution.
‘Currently there is an investigation being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (F.B.I.) arising out of the sudden death of eighteen-year-old Anna Kepner,' the filing says.
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High school cheerleader Anna Kepner, 18, was found dead on a Carnival cruise ship while on a family vacation to the Caribbean on November 7
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Papers filed in a divorce court say the FBI is now looking into one of Anna's stepsiblings in the case. She is pictured above with her blended family including father Chris, stepmom Shauntel, and siblings
‘The deceased is the daughter of the respondent's paramour and the respondent and the minor children of this instant action were all on the cruise ship together.
‘The respondent has been advised through discussions with FBI investigators and her attorneys, that a criminal case may be initiated against one of the minor children of this instant action.'
Hudson's motion asks for issues around custody and access to the two minor children she shares with ex-husband Thomas Hudson to be postponed until the ‘criminal investigation has been concluded'.
‘Any testimony the respondent may give, either written or oral, could be prejudicial to her or her adolescent child in this pending criminal investigation,' it says.
The shock development comes after the Daily Mail revealed that Anna complained of feeling unwell on the evening of November 6 and went back to her cabin.
When she didn't appear for breakfast the next day her dad Christopher Kepner, 41, and other family members began searching the $800 million ship for the bubbly, popular teen.
Two sources who spoke with the Daily Mail under condition of anonymity say a maid eventually found the pretty youngster wrapped in a blanket, covered over with life jackets and stuffed under a bed.
Anna's father would not respond to specific questions about the details of his daughter's death and the FBI would not comment on our new information.
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Chris Kepner and his wife, Shauntel Hudson, had noticed Anna was missing at breakfast after she returned to the cabin the previous night because she felt ill – sparking a frantic search across the $800million ship
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In a emergency motion filed Monday in Shauntel Hudson's divorce proceedings, she said that the FBI is considering initiating a criminal case against one of her minor children
Heartbroken Christopher insisted in a previous interview with the Daily Mail that investigators had shared barely any details with him.
‘We were there as a family. Everybody was questioned. Everybody came off that ship. I don't know who they are looking at or what their investigation is,' he said.
‘The FBI hasn't shared anything with me yet. I would imagine they're going to be in contact with me about it – but I know as little as everybody else.
‘I have no idea what is going on right now. We are just trying to sit still and wait for answers.'
The Miami Dade County Medical Examiner listed Anna's time of death at 11.17am on November 7 without specifying where or how it happened.
Because the Carnival Horizon – a towering 133,500-gross ton Panama-registered megaship with room for 4,700 guests – was midway between Cozumel and Miami, the inquiry is beyond the scope of local law enforcement and falls under the purview of the FBI.
Anna grew up in Titusville, central Florida with her dad, his ex-wife Tabitha Kepner, 33, a younger brother aged 14, and a sister, nine.
Christopher and Tabitha divorced in 2023 and he went on to marry Hudson, according to his social media.
udson's two youngest children moved to Titusville to live with them, the blended family all sharing a smart, three-bed home not far from Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center.
The information vacuum surrounding Anna's demise has spawned an avalanche of gory speculation on TikTok, Reddit and other social media sites.
‘I've had to shut the world out. I don't watch the TV anymore. We've literally had to stop doing anything to do with the internet,' said Christopher, a crane operator.
‘We are very private people. Our lives have been turned upside down.'
Known by her nickname Anna Banana, Anna was set to graduate in May and had plans on joining the military.
A gymnast and varsity cheerleader, she attended Temple Christian School in Titusville, where her Kia Forte remained parked up, covered in flowers and tributes from heartbroken pals.
She was a ‘bright, kind-hearted young woman whose presence brought warmth and energy into the classroom,' the school said in a touching Facebook post.
Christopher revealed his daughter's ultimate career goal was to join the local police department so she could protect her friends and family.
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The search for Anna ended in heartbreak when a maid aboard the Carnival Horizon discovered her body around 11am on November 7 while entering the cabin to clean it
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With so few details released, Anna’s death has triggered a swell of lurid theories across TikTok, Reddit, and beyond. Adding to the eerie online chatter is a TikTok she posted from the same ship six months ago, saying she couldn’t wait to return
‘Anna was an 18-year-old, beautiful young girl; she had a whole life ahead of her,' he told the Daily Mail.
‘She was graduating in May and then she was going to go off into the military to be master of arms and after a few years come back to her small town to be a canine unit with the Titusville Police Department.
‘She spent so much time giving to others if it wasn't just going to a friend's house or a family member's house and noticing that there was dishes in the sink she was the kind of girl that would do the dishes and not ask for anything.
‘She was full of life and loved by everyone in this community. She was special to so many people. The whole family is lost for words. We miss her and love her more than anything.'
Anna had been on previous cruises and had raved about her love of travel on TikTok.
One post showed her enjoying a cruise on the very same boat six months earlier. She danced about in a white dress and captioned the haunting clip: ‘I wanna go back.'
The Carnival Horizon had visited Jamaica to deliver hurricane aid supplies and made tourism stops in Grand Cayman and Cozumel before heading back to Miami.
When it arrived in port on November 8 passengers were told to leave their cabins earlier than usual, according to Cruise Blog.
Carnival said in a statement: ‘Our focus is on supporting the family of our guest and cooperating with the FBI.'
A spokesman for the FBI added: ‘No further information is being released at this time.'