Anna Kepner, the teenager discovered dead on a Carnival cruise ship earlier this month, was described as very close to her stepbrother, who is now a suspect in her death, according to her grandmother’s comments on Monday.
The 18-year-old Florida high school senior was on the Carnival Horizon with her family when her body was found concealed under her bed, wrapped in a blanket with a life jacket on top.
While authorities haven’t confirmed the details surrounding her death, court filings from a separate case suggest that a 16-year-old stepbrother, who was sharing a room with Anna during the trip, is being considered a suspect.
Barbara Kepner, Anna’s grandmother, revealed in an interview that the family was informed that her stepbrother was the only one seen entering and exiting the room before the discovery of Anna’s body on November 8th.
Despite this, Barbara maintained that the two were close, stating, “I know those two kids cared for each other in the right way,” and referred to them as “two peas in a pod.”
Reportedly, the family trip included Anna, her grandparents, her father’s children and their spouses, plus her 14-year-old brother and his sister-in-law.
Barbara mentioned that the two girls initially stayed with their parents but later decided they wanted to room together. They had a larger room available for anyone who needed to join them, and it was clear they didn’t want to be separated if there were issues.
“I can’t blame him because I don’t know what happened in that room,” Barbara said regarding her stepbrother.
She noted that he later claimed he couldn’t recall events from the ship, saying, “I believe that for him, that’s his truth.” According to her, he struggled emotionally and was in shock after the incident.
After the cruise, her stepbrother was briefly hospitalized for psychiatric observation and then released back to his family.
While the autopsy results for Anna are pending, officials suggested that asphyxiation was the likely cause of death. They confirmed there were no apparent signs of sexual assault and no drugs or alcohol in her system.
Details emerged earlier indicating that Anna’s stepbrother had an unsettling fixation on her, allegedly trying to establish a romantic relationship and even being caught climbing over her while she slept.
Anna’s ex-boyfriend’s father claimed she was wary of her stepbrother, noting she carried a large knife for protection.
He described the stepbrother as obsessed and eager to date Anna, and said warnings by Anna’s ex about the stepbrother’s behavior seemed to go unheeded by her parents.
This troubling development came to light during a separate custody dispute involving Anna’s stepmother and her ex-husband.
Anna’s stepmother, Shawntel Hudson, claimed the children had endured physical abuse from their father in a contentious battle for custody.
