Family of Cheerleader Who Died Aboard Carnival Cruise Pays Emotional Tribute, As Stepsibling May Face Unspecified Charges By Christine Pelisek

The family of a Florida cheerleader who died aboard a Carnival cruise ship is paying tribute to the teen.

Anna Kepner, 18, was remembered in an online obituary as “incredibly determined and hardworking; reliable, responsible, and always willing to help.”

The teen, the obituary states, “filled the world with laughter, love, and light that reached everyone around her.”

“Anna was pure energy: bubbly, funny, outgoing, and completely herself. She never had a filter, and that was part of her charm.”

The high school senior was on the Carnival Horizon cruise ship in the Caribbean with her father, stepmother and stepsiblings when she was found dead on Nov. 8.

Her body was found under a bed by a housekeeper, CBS News reported.

Kepner was discovered wrapped in a blanket and covered by life vests, a security source told ABC News.

According to the New York Times, citing an unrelated custody filing by Kepner’s stepmother, Kepner’s 16-year-old stepbrother “is a suspect” in the death.

According to the filing, the stepbrother is currently staying with a relative, per the Times.

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Per an earlier court filing, the stepmother, Shauntel Hudson, was “advised” that a criminal case “may be initiated against one of the minor children”, NBC News reported.

The Miami Dade Medical Examiner’s Office said Wednesday that Kepner’s cause and manner of death are still pending, per NBC News.

According to her obituary, Kepner attended Titusville High School, “where she was a proud member of the Varsity Cheer Team, and later Astronaut High School before finding her home at Temple Christian School, where she was joyfully looking forward to graduating with the Class of 2026.”

She planned to join the U.S. Navy after graduating and eventually become a K9 police officer.