newspost
The baby-faced stepbrother considered a ‘suspect’ in the cruise ship death of Florida teenager Anna Kepner can be seen for the first time in exclusive Daily Mail photos.
The 16-year-old has been laying low at a relative’s home as federal authorities weigh charges in Anna’s alleged November 7 asphyxiation aboard the Carnival Horizon.
His whereabouts have remained a closely guarded secret in the five weeks since the cheerleader’s body was found wrapped in a blanket and stuffed under a bed in the cabin she shared with her brother and step-sibling.
But the Daily Mail located the skinny, blond-haired teen this week to his rural Florida hideaway, where he emerged from seclusion Friday to sell firewood from a roadside stand.
Wearing a baseball cap, black pants, and a zip-up sweater, the young entrepreneur unloaded logs from a $15,000 Polaris off-road buggy to sell to passing motorists in $5 bundles.
He was doing brisk business during the unusually cold weather but froze when the Daily Mail pulled over to quiz him over 18-year-old Anna’s death.
‘I’d rather not talk,’ the boy said nervously, tugging the brim of his cap lower to obscure his face.
He accepted a business card to pass along to an adult, then sped off down his relative’s dirt driveway without another word.
Anna Kepner’s 16-year-old stepbrother was spotted for the first time in rural Florida amid the ongoing investigation into his stepsister’s death
The boy, whose identity is being withheld because he is a minor and has not been formally charged, was spotted selling firewood from a roadside stand near a relative’s home on December 12
The high school senior, from Titusville, Florida, was on a six-day Carnival cruise to the Caribbean with her family when she was found dead onboard between Mexico and Florida on November 7
Nobody got in contact – but two police cruisers arrived 30 minutes later to monitor the secluded Central Florida property, surrounded by wetlands and dense woodland.
‘The police should be arresting him, not protecting him,’ a source close to Anna’s grieving family told the Daily Mail.
‘We’re p****d that he’s walking around free and living his life. What is taking the FBI so long to file charges? We can’t understand it.’
That question was partially addressed during a December 5 custody dispute between the boy’s divorced parents, Shauntel, 36, and Thomas Hudson, 37.
They both referred to their son as a ‘suspect’ in court documents – with one filing describing bubbly Anna’s death as a ‘suspected murder.’
‘We’re not sure what the FBI is going to do – whether he’ll be charged federally or if the case will be turned over to the state,’ Shauntel’s lawyer, Millicent Athanason, told Brevard County Court.
‘They’re also waiting on testing results. They don’t know how long it’s going to take.’
Shauntel told the hearing that she and her new partner Christopher Kepner, 41 – Anna’s devastated father – discussed whether the boy posed a risk to their other children.
When approached, he told the Daily Mail: ‘I’d rather not talk,’ tugging the brim of his cap lower to obscure his face
The boy, still concealing his face, then sped away down a dirt driveway without further comment
Seen in a black cap, black cargo pants, and a zip-up sweater, and sneakers, the teen unloaded logs from an off-road buggy to sell to passing motorists in $5 bundles
They decided to remove him from their blended household in Titusville, Florida and place him with a trustworthy relative while the FBI investigation plays out.
The relative’s name is redacted in a signed affidavit which forbids Shauntel and Thomas from revealing their son’s whereabouts to anyone other than law enforcement.
Neither parent can remove him without the other’s written agreement.
Straight-A student Anna was pronounced dead at 11.17am on November 7 while the Carnival Horizon was en route from Mexico to Florida.
The Daily Mail was the first outlet to report that her body was found stuffed under a bed in the cabin she was sharing with her stepbrother and 14-year-old half-brother.
She had been wrapped in a blanket and covered with life preservers, according to our sources.
Anna had gone to bed early the night before, telling her family during dinner that she was feeling unwell.
While her half-brother wandered around the ship taking photos, she was left alone with her stepbrother who takes medication for ADHD and insomnia.
Anna’s father Christopher was in court supporting the boy’s mother – Anna’s stepmom- Shauntel, at a hearing in Florida on December 5
Anna’s father Christopher split from his ex-wife in 2023, but soon found love with Shauntel, who divorced her ex-husband Thomas last year and moved to Titusville with her two youngest children. Pictured: Anna and her blended family
A maid aboard the Carnival cruise was the one to find Anna’s body wrapped in a blanket, covered over with life jackets and stuffed under a bed, according to our sources, who spoke under condition of anonymity
When the younger boy returned, he didn’t see Anna but assumed she was staying up late with Shauntel, Christopher or his grandparents Jeffrey and Barbara Kepner.
He climbed into his bunk and went to sleep – unaware, sources say, that his sister’s body was concealed just feet away.
It wasn’t until the next day when the boys headed to breakfast that the family realized Anna was missing.
A medical emergency was announced over the ship’s public address system, prompting Christopher to rush to her Deck 8 cabin where a cleaning crew had just discovered the body.
A law enforcement source later told ABC that Anna died from asphyxiation caused by a bar hold, suggesting an arm was pressed across her neck.
FBI investigators swarmed the ship, interviewed the family and scoured CCTV cameras when the Horizon returned to Miami on November 8.
More than a month later, however, authorities have not publicly detailed how Anna died or named a suspect or person of interest.
The high school senior had chronicled her love of travel on TikTok and been on several previous cruises.
Court documents revealed Anna’s 16-year-old stepbrother (pictured together) is being investigated as a potential suspect in the case
The Daily Mail previously reported that Anna had returned to the cruise ship cabin she was sharing with her younger brother and stepbrother after dinner on November 6, and never left the room again
‘Anna was pure energy: bubbly, funny, outgoing, and completely herself,’ her family wrote in an obituary.
She planned on entering the US Navy or becoming a K9 handler in the Titusville Police Department.
When crane operator Christopher spoke exclusively to the Daily Mail on November 11, he dismissed any suggestion that his stepson was considered a suspect in Anna’s death.
The grief-stricken dad reversed course two weeks later, telling People: ‘He was the only one that was in the room.
‘I can’t say he is responsible – but I can’t rule it out. I want him to face the consequences.’
poster
