Family speaks out after stepbrother emerges as suspect in death of Florida teen on cruise | Florida
The grandparents of a high school senior found dead aboard a cruise ship in early November said they feared they had lost two grandchildren after his half-brother emerged as a suspect in the case.
“No matter what we learn, no matter what they tell us, it’s not going to bring either of these kids back,” said Barbara Kepner, grandmother of 18-year-old cheerleader Anna Kepner. said ABC News on Monday.
According to widely followed national media reports, Anna Kepner of Titusville, Florida, was found dead under a bed on the Carnival Horizon on November 8, wrapped in blankets and life jackets.
Investigators later told ABC News: It was stated that Kepner died of suffocation as a result of his arm being put around his neck, and he pointed out the bruises on the side of his neck. The Miami-Dade medical examiner investigating Kepner’s death has not confirmed the cause or manner of death.
The initial report stated that there were no signs of sexual assault. It was also reported that there was no trace of drugs or alcohol in his body, but autopsy and toxicology reports have not yet been submitted to confirm these findings.
The mystery deepened further Monday when Kepner’s grandparents detailed in an interview with ABC News how authorities told them Kepner’s 16-year-old half-brother was a suspect. Other than saying it was investigating Kepner’s “sudden death,” the FBI had no comment on the investigation, including whether any arrests were expected in the case.
Kepner’s stepmother, Shauntel Hudson, who was on the cruise with her children and Kepner’s father, also appeared to indicate that the 16-year-old might be a suspect after requesting that the divorce custody hearing be postponed because one of her minor children could face criminal charges.
Kepner’s ex-boyfriend, Jim Thew, said he wasn’t surprised that his stepbrother could be accused of a crime. “There were signs before this,” Thew said he told Florida news outlet WESH. “She was complaining about him being uncomfortable around her.”
Anna Kepner’s death came as three generations of her family were ushering in what was expected to be a new tradition for their blended family.
Kepners; sons; three children, including Anna; his wife; and his three children from a previous marriage set out on the voyage, occupying three cabins on a massive 133,596-ton ship with a capacity for 3,960 passengers.
Kepner’s grandparents told ABC News that their families were close and did not discriminate between blood and half-siblings.
“This is totally a family; a blended family, yes, but our family isn’t like that,” Jeffrey Kepner said. “Our dynamic is that we are all just family.”
At the hearing where Anna Kepner’s stepbrother was identified as a suspect, his stepmother said that the young boy was temporarily hospitalized for psychiatric observation after Anna’s death.
The half-sibling was also questioned by law enforcement, according to the Kepner family. “He was in an emotional turmoil. He couldn’t even talk, he couldn’t believe what was happening,” Barbara Kepner said of the child, whose name has not been made public.
He said the boy told him “in his own words” on the ship that he “didn’t remember what happened.” He added: “I believe to him that was his truth.”
He also claimed that Anna Kepner and her younger half-brother were “just like brother and sister” and like “two peas in a pod”.
“I know these two kids care about each other in the right way,” Kepner added. “I can’t blame him because I don’t know what happened in that room.”
Barbara Kepner also said knowing how Anna died helped her and her husband, Jeffrey Kepner, “a little bit.”
“But that won’t bring Anna back,” Barbara Kepner told ABC.
