The family of 18-year-old Anna Kepner has spoken of their shock and pain on finding her dead in her room aboard a luxury cruise ship earlier this month.
“We were looking forward to seeing her grow,” her grandfather, Jeffrey Kepner, told ABC News in an interview Monday.
“I couldn’t fathom why anyone would wanna hurt my baby,” her grandmother, Barbara Kepner, added.
Anna, a high school senior and cheerleader from Titusville, Florida, was found dead on Nov. 8 in her stateroom aboard the Carnival Horizon. While authorities have not publicly announced a cause of death, the family says the FBI informed them it may have been by asphyxiation from an arm across the neck, and that her 16-year-old stepbrother is now being looked at as a potential suspect in the case.
The 18-year-old was vacationing with her family, including her father, stepmother, grandparents, siblings, and stepsiblings. Her grandparents say they occupied three separate staterooms on the ship, and that Anna was sharing with two other teenagers, including her stepbrother.
They said the family is otherwise exceptionally close. “It’s all family. It’s a blended family, yes, but that’s not how our family is,” Jeremy said.
“They were just like brother and sister,” Barbara added. “Two peas in a pod.”
They say security videos from the ship show that the boy was “the only one seen going in and the only one seen going out” of their shared cabin. When asked who should be held responsible, Jeffrey said simply: “That will be for the courts to decide.”
Investigators have reportedly questioned the teen and others after examining camera footage and access-card data. Officials later hospitalized the stepbrother for psychiatric evaluation when the ship docked in Miami. He has since been released to a relative.
The Kepners say they were told by agents that preliminary findings suggest there was no sexual assault, and no clear evidence of drugs or alcohol in Anna’s system. A full autopsy and toxicology report have not yet been made public.
Barbara recalled their final interaction with Anna the night before she died. Her braces were bothering her, but she still tried to enjoy the evening. “She just said, ‘Meemaw, I think I’m gonna go back to my room for a little bit, I don’t feel well,” Barbara recalled. “And she said, ‘Meemaw, I love you guys, I’ll see you later,’”
The following morning, a medical alert sounded. When the family entered the room, they found Anna’s body concealed under the bed. “I just screamed,” Barbara said. “I couldn’t stop screaming.”
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