Anna Kepner, a teenage girl who died on the Carnival Horizon cruise ship earlier this month, was found dead under her bed, wrapped in a blanket and wearing a life jacket, according to a security source briefed on the investigation.
The 18-year-old cheerleader from Titusville, Florida, was reported dead while aboard the Carnival Horizon cruise ship on November 8. The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner's Office has not yet released a cause or manner of death.
One of the lines investigators are looking into is whether there may have been an argument with her half-brother before she died, the source told ABC News. Investigators are also looking into other possibilities, including a medical emergency or overdose, the source said.
Investigators are poring over the ship's security records, including footage from security cameras and access cards, to get a picture of who was where at various times before her death, the source said.
A court filing in an unrelated family case notes that Kepner's half-siblings could face charges.
The family of Anna Kepner, 18, who was reported dead on the Carnival Horizon cruise ship on Saturday, said they will remember her as a happy, energetic, straight-A student with a bright future ahead of her.
The filing says the FBI is conducting an investigation “arising from the sudden death of 18-year-old Anna Kepner.”
According to the filing, Shauntel Hudson — Kepner's stepmother, who was also on the cruise with her children and Kepner's father — has asked for a child custody hearing to be postponed because one of her younger children could face criminal charges.
“The Defendant has been informed through discussions with FBI investigators and her attorney that a criminal case may be filed against one of the minor children in this current case,” the filing states. “Any statements the Defendant makes, whether written or oral, could be detrimental to her or her minor children in this pending criminal investigation, and therefore the Defendant cannot be compelled to testify.”
The FBI declined to comment.
Carnival Cruise Line said in a statement after Kepner’s death, “We are focused on supporting the passenger’s family and cooperating with the FBI.”