Anna Kepner, 18, was found dead in her cabin on Nov. 7 during a six-day Caribbean cruise with her family aboard the Carnival Horizon.
Daily Mail now reports that a minor may face criminal charges in connection with the death of the Florida cheerleader, according to a new filing in an unrelated family court case.
Emergency motion
Federal authorities may be investigating the stepsibling of Florida cheerleader Anna Kepner, whose body was found wrapped in a blanket and placed under a bed aboard the Carnival Horizon cruise ship, according to a shocking new court filing.
This is according to reporting by Daily Mail and ABC News.
The potential federal probe comes nearly two weeks after 18-year-old Anna Kepner was discovered dead in her cabin on Nov. 7 during a six-day Caribbean voyage with her family.
In an emergency motion filed Monday in Brevard County and first obtained by the Daily Mail, her stepmother, Shauntel Hudson, requested additional time to respond to filings in her 2024 divorce case, citing an “extremely sensitive and severe circumstance.”
The motion explains that Hudson and her children were on the cruise with Anna and her father, Christopher, when the teen died.
The filing states: “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.”
It continues: “The respondent has been advised through discussions with the FBI investigators and her attorneys, that a criminal case may be initiated against one of the minor children of this instant action.”
The stepmother, Shauntel Hudson, argued that the family court proceedings should be paused until the criminal investigation concludes, warning that any testimony could be “prejudicial” to both her and her “adolescent” child.
”A people person”
While the Miami-Dade County medical examiner lists Kepner’s time of death as 11:17 a.m. on Nov. 7, the cause and manner of death remain unspecified. The FBI is leading the investigation because the incident occurred in international waters.
Carnival Cruise Line previously said, “Our focus is on supporting the family of our guest and cooperating with the FBI.”
The six-day cruise had departed from Miami for a Caribbean getaway — but tragedy struck when 18-year-old Anna Kepner was found dead in her cabin. Her devastated family later spoke with the media, remembering the teen’s bright spirit and the plans she never got to fulfill.
“She was a people person,” they said in a statement. “She loved being around people. She had that type of energy that just drew you in with her smile and the way she carried herself.”
They added that “She was such an easy person to talk to.”
Kepner was a varsity cheerleader at her high school and was preparing to graduate next May. She already had her future mapped out — a future centered on serving others.
“She had just finished taking the test to join the military,” her family shared. “She was already talking to recruiters and had chosen her career path. She wanted to do something that would help her community.”
ABC News reports that the FBI has offered no further comment, and the family has not yet responded to the latest developments.
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