Anna Kepner's teenage brother unknowingly slept just feet from his sister's dead body after her death on a cruise ship during a family vacation, according to a report.
Kepner, 18, died on the Carnival Horizon cruise ship on Nov. 7. The ship had left Miami for the Caribbean but returned to port on Nov. 8. Although the FBI began investigating, little information has been released by authorities regarding her death.
The Daily Mail reported that CCTV footage on the ship showed Kepner returning on Thursday, Nov. 6 alone to the cabin she shared with her 14-year-old brother and her 16-year-old stepbrother.
The newspaper reported that Kepner had excused herself from dinner after not feeling well. In the cabin, Kepner had her own bed, and the boys were sleeping in bunk beds.
Although the two boys returned later, her 14-year-old brother left the room to take photos of the $800 million cruise ship to post on social media, according to the Daily Mail. When the 14-year-old returned, he did not see Anna in the room and assumed she was with their parents and went to sleep.
The Daily Mail previously reported that Kepner's body was found the next day around 11:17 a.m. by a maid who was cleaning the cabin. The body was reportedly stuffed under her bed, wrapped in a sheet and covered with life jackets.
NBC News has reported that a court filing related to the previous marriage of Kepner's stepmother, Shauntel Hudson, indicated that the FBI was investigating Kepner's 16-year-old stepbrother.
The network reported that the court filing asked for a pause in the case, stating that Hudson "has been advised through discussion with FBI investigators and her attorneys, that a criminal case may be initiated against one of the minor children of this instant action."
Kepner was a high school senior, straight-A student and varsity cheerleader. Her father and stepmother had been together since 2023.
Family previously told ABC News that she was planning a military career after she graduated.
"She had just finished taking the test to join the military," they said. "She was already talking to recruiters and had chosen her career path. She wanted to do something that would help her community."
