BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — New court filings are shedding light on the investigation into the death of Anna Kepner, a high school senior whose body was found on a Carnival cruise ship.
Channel 2’s sister station, WFTV, obtained a copy of new court filings on Tuesday that revealed the FBI is investigating and indicated that one of Kepner’s minor stepsiblings may face criminal charges.
Kepner was found dead on Nov. 8 aboard the Carnival Horizon that had departed from Miami. Kepner went on the cruise with her father, stepmother and stepsiblings.
Investigators had previously described the area where her body was discovered as a “grim location.” The Miami-Dade medical examiner has not determined Kepner’s cause of death.
WFTV reports that her stepmother, Shauntel Hudson, requested that an upcoming custody hearing be postponed, citing a possible criminal case against one of her children.
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“Any testimony the Respondent may give, either written or oral, could be prejudicial to her or her adolescent child in this pending criminal investigation, therefore the Respondent cannot be compelled to testify,” the court filing stated.
It’s important to note that no charges have been filed, and the FBI has not publicly indicated that charges are forthcoming.
Here is the petition that was filed in Brevard County, where Kepner lived before embarking on the cruise.
Kepner attended Temple Christian School and planned to join the U.S. Navy after graduation.
Her obituary said Kepner had a passion for sports and carried her team spirit with her everywhere she went.
“A Georgia Bulldogs fan through and through, just like her family. Anna dreamed of one day becoming a cheerleader for the Bulldogs, sharing her radiant smile and endless energy from the sidelines in red and black,” her obituary reads.
Kepner’s funeral is scheduled for Thursday. The FBI is leading the case, which remains active.
ABC News contributed to this report.
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