A custody battle has brought new details to light as parents confirm their son is under investigation in the death of his step sister, discovered on Nov. 7.
A 16-year-old boy has become the focus of a federal investigation into the death of his elder stepsister, who died aboard a Carnival cruise ship earlier this month.
Court documents reveal a troubling turn in the case that has captured international attention.
The teenager, identified in family court papers only by his initials "T.H.," is now under FBI watch in connection with the death of his 18-year-old step sister Anna Kepner, a high school student from Florida's Space Coast who was found dead on the Carnival Horizon.
Both of the boy's biological parents acknowledged in custody dispute filings that their middle child is a suspect in Kepner's death, which represents the first public indication that investigators are looking within the victim's extended family.
"T.H." is "now a suspect in the death of the step child during the cruise," wrote Thomas Hudson, the boy's father, in court papers seeking custody of his youngest children.
Shauntel Hudson married Kepner's father after her divorce from Thomas Hudson. Kepner was traveling aboard the ship with Shauntel Hudson and her minor children.
The circumstances surrounding Anna Kepner's death remain murky. She was discovered on Nov. 7, wrapped in a blanket and concealed beneath a bed in her stateroom as the ship returned to port in Miami. A housekeeper found her hidden under the bed, covered with life jackets.
The FBI has released no details about the cause of death, whether any crime occurred, or what prompted agents to focus their attention on the teen boy. A FBI spokesperson said the agency "does not provide operational updates about ongoing investigations."
A final autopsy report determining how Kepner died and the circumstances of her death is still pending, according to the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner's office.
Concerned about the safety of their youngest child, Thomas Hudson and Shauntel Hudson agreed this week to have the 16-year-old live with a relative, according to the court documents. Shauntel Hudson also noted that her ex-husband has hired an attorney for their son because of the FBI probe.
Earlier this week, Shauntel Hudson's attorney asked for a delay in a custody hearing originally scheduled for next month, arguing that any testimony his client might give "could be prejudicial to her or her adolescent child in this pending criminal investigation."
Kepner, who attended Temple Christian School in Titusville and was planning to graduate next year, had a memorial on Thursday at a private service in her hometown, about 40 miles east of Orlando. Her family asked attendees to wear bright, colorful clothes instead of black "in honor of Anna's bright and beautiful soul."
According to her obituary, Kepner was described as someone who loved the water and outdoor adventures. She was interested in joining the military and becoming a K9 police officer.
The Carnival Horizon, which can accommodate nearly 4,000 passengers, returned to PortMiami on Nov. 8 as scheduled after its Caribbean voyage.
"Carnival Cruise Line is fully cooperating with the Miami office of the FBI in the investigation," the cruise line said. The company added that there is "no related threat to safety aboard" the vessel as it continues operating.