Family speaks out after stepbrother emerges as suspect in death of Florida teen on cruise

Anna Kepner, 18, from Titusville, was found dead of asphyxiation under a bed on a Carnival cruise ship

The grandparents of a high school senior found dead on a cruise ship earlier in November say they fear they have lost two grandchildren after her stepbrother has emerged as a suspect in the case.

“No matter what we find out, no matter what they tell us, it’s not going to bring either one of these children back,” Barbara Kepner, the grandmother of the late 18-year-old cheerleader Anna Kepner told ABC News on Monday.

Anna Kepner, from Titusville, Florida, was found dead under a bed, wrapped in a blanket and covered by life vests on the Carnival Horizon on 8 November, according to national media reports that have been widely followed.

Investigators later told ABC News that Kepner died by asphyxiation resulting from a bar hold – an arm across the neck – and pointed to bruises on the side of her neck. The Miami-Dade medical examiner, which is investigating Kepner’s death, has not confirmed the cause or manner of death.

An initial report said there were no indications of a sexual assault. And there were also reportedly no traces of drugs nor alcohol in her system, though autopsy and toxicology reports are yet to be filed to confirm those findings.

The mystery deepened on Monday when Kepner’s grandparents detailed, in an interview with ABC News, how authorities had told them Kepner’s 16-year-old stepbrother was a suspect. The FBI has not commented on the investigation – including whether it expects any arrests in the case – other than to say it is investigating Kepner’s “sudden death”.

Shauntel Hudson – Kepner’s stepmother, who was also on the cruise along with her children and Kepner’s father – also appeared to indicate that the 16-year-old boy could be a suspect after she requested a delay in a divorce custody hearing because one of her minor children may face criminal charges.

Kepner’s ex-boyfriend, Jim Thew, did not express surprise that the stepbrother might be charged with a crime. “There were signs before this,” Thew told the Florida news outlet WESH. “She complained about … being uncomfortable around him.”

Anna Kepner’s death came while three generations of her family were initiating what was expected to be come a new tradition for their blended family.

The Kepners; their son; his three children, including Anna; his wife; and her three children from a previous marriage embarked on the cruise and occupied three staterooms on a vast, 133,596-ton vessel with a capacity for 3,960 passengers.

The Kepner grandparents told ABC News that their family was close and did not distinguish between blood and step-siblings.

“It’s all family – it’s a blended family, yes, but that’s not how our family is,” Jeffrey Kepner said. “Our dynamic is we’re all just family.”

In the court hearing where Anna Kepner’s stepbrother was seemingly identified as a suspect, her stepmother said the teen boy had been temporarily hospitalized for psychiatric observation after Anna’s death.

The stepbrother was also questioned by law enforcement, according to the Kepner family. “He was an emotional mess. He couldn’t even speak – he couldn’t believe what had happened,” Barbara Kepner said of the boy, whose name has not been publicly released.

She said the boy had told her onboard the ship – “in his own words” – that “he does not remember what happened.” She added: “I believe, to him, that is his truth.”

She also claimed that Anna Kepner and her younger stepbrother “were just like brother and sister” – and like “two peas in a pod”.

“I know that those two kids cared about each other in the right way,” Kepner added. “I can’t accuse him because I don’t know what happened in that room.”

Barbara Kepner also said it helped her and her husband, Jeffrey Kepner, “a little bit” to know how Anna died.

“But it’s not going to bring Anna back,” Barbara Kepner said to ABC.