For the first time, the teenage stepbrother at the centre of the investigation into the death of 18-year-old Anna Kepner on a Carnival cruise ship has been seen in exclusive photographs obtained by the Daily Mail.
Stepbrother Emerges From Seclusion
The 16-year-old boy, whose identity is protected as a minor, has been living at a relative's secluded property in rural Florida. He was spotted this week emerging to sell bundles of firewood for $5 from a roadside stand. The sighting comes more than five weeks after Anna's body was discovered on the Carnival Horizon ship on November 7.
Wearing a baseball cap and a zip-up sweater, the blond teen was seen unloading logs from a Polaris off-road vehicle. His business was brisk in the cold weather, but he froze when approached by the Daily Mail. "I'd rather not talk," he stated nervously, pulling his cap brim down before speeding away down a dirt driveway. He accepted a business card to give to an adult, but no contact was made. Shortly after, two police cruisers arrived to monitor the wetland-surrounded property.
A Family's Anguish and a Legal Limbo
The Kepner family has expressed fury at the pace of the investigation. "The police should be arresting him, not protecting him," a source close to the grieving family told the Daily Mail. "We're p****d that he's walking around free and living his life. What is taking the FBI so long to file charges?"
This question was partly addressed in a December 5 custody hearing between the boy's divorced parents, Shauntel and Thomas Hudson. Court filings from both parents referred to their son as a "suspect" and described Anna's death as a "suspected murder." Shauntel's lawyer, Millicent Athanason, revealed the FBI is awaiting test results and has not decided whether to charge federally or hand the case to state authorities.
Fearing for their other children's safety, Anna's father, Christopher Kepner, and his partner Shauntel made the decision to remove the teen from their blended family home in Titusville, Florida. He was placed with a relative under a strict agreement that forbids his parents from revealing his location.
The Tragic Discovery Onboard
Straight-A student and high school senior Anna Kepner was on a six-day family cruise to the Caribbean when tragedy struck. She told her family she felt unwell during dinner on November 6 and went to bed early in the cabin she shared with her 14-year-old half-brother and her 16-year-old stepbrother, who is known to take medication for ADHD and insomnia.
Her half-brother left to take photos around the ship, leaving Anna alone with her stepbrother. When he returned, he assumed Anna was elsewhere and went to sleep, unaware her body was concealed under a bed, wrapped in a blanket and covered with life preservers.
The grim discovery was made the next morning by a ship's maid. Anna was pronounced dead at 11.17am on November 7 as the ship sailed between Mexico and Florida. A law enforcement source indicated she died from asphyxiation caused by a bar hold. The FBI boarded the vessel when it docked in Miami on November 8, interviewing the family and scouring CCTV footage.
Anna, a bubbly teen who dreamed of joining the US Navy or becoming a police K9 handler, was remembered by her family as "pure energy." Her father, Christopher, initially dismissed suggestions his stepson was a suspect but later told People magazine, "He was the only one that was in the room... I want him to face the consequences." The investigation continues.
