The 16-year-old stepbrother of a young woman found dead aboard a Carnival cruise ship is under investigation in her death, according to court documents filed in Brevard County, Fla.
The body of the woman, Anna Kepner, of Brevard County, was discovered on the Carnival Horizon on Nov. 8. Because her death occurred in international waters after the ship departed an American port, the Federal Bureau of Investigation responded to the crime scene. The Horizon had left Miami on Nov. 2 for a six-day cruise around the Caribbean.
According to a legal filing by Ms. Kepner’s stepmother, Shauntel Hudson, on Monday, Ms. Kepner had been vacationing with her father, stepmother and two stepsiblings, a 16-year-old boy and a 9-year-old girl, at the time of her death. Her stepbrother, identified in the documents as “T.H.,” age 16, “is a suspect” in the death, “which occurred recently on a cruise ship,” Ms. Hudson asserted in her filing.
The filing was part of a custody dispute between Ms. Hudson and her ex-husband, Thomas Hudson, who were granted a divorce in 2023. Emails to both Ms. Hudson and Mr. Hudson requesting comment went unanswered on Wednesday.
The 16-year-old is staying with a relative of Ms. Hudson, the documents said. The child’s parents have hired a lawyer for him, and the 9-year-old is in counseling, Ms. Hudson said in her filing.
In a statement, Carnival Cruise Line said it was fully cooperating with the F.B.I. and that the ship had returned to port in Miami as planned on Nov. 8.
“The F.B.I. has advised that there is no related threat to safety aboard as it sails its current voyage,” Carnival said of the Horizon. “Our focus remains on supporting the family of our guest and cooperating with the F.B.I.”
A spokesman for the F.B.I. confirmed that the agency is investigating, but did not provide further details.
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Claire Fahy reports on New York City and the surrounding area for The Times.
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