Cheerleader's cruise ship death has family pointing fingers

Relatives of Florida cheerleader Anna Kepner, who died aboard a Carnival cruise vessel earlier this period nether mysterious circumstances, person revealed caller details astir who they deliberation is liable for her death, though nary charges oregon arrests person been announced by authorities.

Carnival unit recovered Anna dormant successful her country aboard the Carnival Horizon cruise liner astir 11:15 a.m. connected Nov. 7, according to the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner's Office. An authoritative origin and mode of decease person not yet been made public, but her grandparents said successful a caller interrogation the FBI told them that investigators suspected asphyxiation.

Her 16-year-old stepbrother has emerged arsenic a "suspect," according to tribunal filings successful a bitter custody conflict betwixt Shauntel Kepner, Anna's stepmother, and her ex-husband, Thomas Hudson.

"Chris knew astir the creepiness of the stepson," Anna's aunt, Krystal Wright, told Fox News Digital, referring to Anna's father, Chris Kepner.

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Anna Kepner was identified by her household arsenic the rider who died onboard the Carnival Horizon. (Instagram/Anna Kepner)

She said Anna's ex-boyfriend informed the household earlier this twelvemonth of an brushwood helium witnessed implicit a FaceTime video call, successful which Anna fell asleep, and her stepbrother allegedly came into the country and climbed "on apical of her."

The teen fellow recounted the incidental himself to the media aft Anna's ceremonial past week, saying that helium shouted astatine the stepbrother, who ran retired of the room. He said Anna felt "uncomfortable" astir her stepbrother.

Still, Anna and her stepbrother were staying successful the aforesaid country aboard the cruise ship, household members person said successful aggregate interviews.

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Anna Kepner, her father, stepmother and respective siblings successful a household photo. (Shauntel Kepner/Facebook)

"He was successful a country with her," Anna's grandmother, Barbara, told "Good Morning America" successful an interrogation that aired Monday morning. "He was the lone 1 seen coming and going."

Investigators person recovered surveillance video and cardinal paper records from the ship.

"I can't impeach him, due to the fact that I don't cognize what happened successful that room, but the summation would beryllium that helium did something," she added.

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She said she heard him accidental successful "his ain words" that helium doesn't retrieve what happened, and "he was an affectional mess" aft Anna's death.

The 16-year-old stepbrother has not been charged with a transgression arsenic of Monday morning.

When asked what justness looks similar for the family, the grandma replied that it's "whatever the instrumentality says."

Jeff Kepner arrives to a memorial work for his granddaughter, Anna Kepner astatine the Grove Church successful Titusville, Florida, Thursday, November 20, 2025. The 18 year-old cheerleader was reportedly recovered dormant nether a furniture connected a Carnival Cruise connected November 7. (Mark Sims for Fox News Digital)

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"I'm not gonna look for thing much oregon thing less, and that's for the courts to decide," she said.

In a TikTok video, Anna's biologic mom, who moved to Oklahoma erstwhile her girl was 4, called the determination to permission Florida the worst mistake she'd ever made. She said Anna's father, Christopher Kepner, made it "extremely hard" for her to support successful interaction with her girl implicit the years, to spot her, to support successful interaction oregon to beryllium portion of her life.

"I loved my girl — fto maine get that consecutive close now," Heather Wright said. "My children are my world. And adjacent though I wasn't successful her life, it doesn't mean I didn't deliberation astir her each day."

Anna Kepner's estranged biologic mother, Heather Wright, has opened up astir her daughter's mysterious cruise vessel decease successful a bid of TikTok videos. (Heather Wright/TikTok)

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In the caption of different post, she wrote that Anna's begetter and stepmother didn't adjacent interaction her aft their cruise vessel returned to Miami the greeting aft she'd been recovered dormant successful her room, hidden nether the bed.

Her sister, Krystal Wright, told Fox News Digital that their broadside of the household learned astir Anna's decease done the quality and that Heather had been told not to spell to her daughter's memorial work past week.