Anna Kepner News & Updates

New court documents revealed in the custody dispute between Anna Kepner's stepmom and her ex-husband confirm that the Titusville, Florida teenager died by asphyxiation, and that her body was found underneath the cruise ship bed. Court documents also reveal that Kepner's stepbrother is an apparent "suspect" in the FBI's investigation. The FBI, to date, has released few, if any, details on the case or investigation, citing agency policy.

Orlando-based trial attorney Mark NeJame discussed questions regarding Anna Kepner's death and what he would like to find out. Reports say Kepner died by asphyxiation -- but that could mean a number of things, NeJame said. The next court appearance for the custody battle between Anna's stepmother and her ex-husband is set for Dec. 5.

Nearly three weeks after 18-year-old Anna Kepner boarded a cruise and never returned home, her family says they are still waiting for answers in the FBI’s investigation. Despite court documents indicating the teen’s 16-year-old stepbrother is considered a suspect, no arrests have been made in her death aboard the Carnival Horizon.

A newly issued ruling is poised to open a window into the final hours of 18-year-old Anna Kepner’s life. With a judge refusing to seal a related custody case, family members hope long-withheld details about her death aboard a cruise ship will finally come to light.

New documents filed in a Brevard County family court case show that the father of 18-year-old Anna Kepner, who died under mysterious circumstances on a cruise ship, may soon be required to testify.

The father of Anna Kepner, the Titusville teenager who died aboard a cruise ship, has been ordered to testify in a civil custody case, a development that has shed new light on a separate FBI investigation into the girl’s death.

Joel Leppard, managing attorney at Leppard Law Criminal Lawyers, discusses the latest court documents and filings related to the death investigation of Anna Kepner. Leppard is not directly connected to the case. Kepner died in early November aboard the Carnival Horizon cruise ship. Few details about her death have been released. However, documents in an unrelated child custody case, indicate the FBI is investigation her stepbrother, aged 16, as a possible suspect.

Anna Kepner's father was subpoenaed in the family court custody case this morning. In addition, a copy of Anna Kepner's death certificate obtained by FOX News reveals Anna's body was cremated after her death on board the Carnival Horizon cruise ship. The publicly available document does not include her cause or manner of death. The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner's Office and FBI refused to comment, citing the ongoing investigation into Anna Kepner's death. The FBI previously listed Anna's teen stepbrother as a suspect in a potential murder case surrounding Anna Kepner's death.

Christopher Kepner, the father of Anna Kepner, was served a subpoena to appear in family court for a child custody civil case. Information about Anna Kepner's death – of which the FBI has provided little details about – is being released through an unrelated court case in a dispute between Kepner's stepmother and her ex-husband – the father of the 16-year-old "suspect" in Kepner's death. To be clear, the FBI has not confirmed its investigation nor named anyone a suspect. FOX 35 and other outlets have reached out to the FBI several times regarding the case. Last week, Kepner's stepmom, Hudson, filed a motion for a gag order in the case, claiming through an attorney that the public exposure and reporting on the case and subsequent fillings could lead to "possible irreversible harm" to the children and family or could jeopardize the investigation and presumed defense.

New details are emerging in the death of 18-year-old Anna Kepner, whose case remains under FBI investigation more than two weeks after she died aboard a Carnival cruise ship. Her 16-year-old stepbrother is considered a suspect, but no arrests have been made.

A Nov. 20 family custody court filing, confirms the FBI is conducing a murder investigation into the death of Titusville teen, Anna Kepner. Kepner's 16-year-old step brother -- who previous documents identified as a suspect in her death -- is named in these documents. Now, Kepner's stepmother wants to keep the public from viewing these documents, motioning for a gag order.

Anna Kepner's stepmother filed new court documents in the civil custody case, seeking a gag order for people involved in the case and to keep the rest of the case private so as to protect the FBI criminal investigation into Anna Kepner's death. Criminal Defense Attorney Jose Rivas joins FOX 35's Garrett Wymer live via Zoom to discuss this latest court filing, why Anna's stepmother or the FBI would want these proceedings private, and its potential impact on the FBI investigation, where Anna Kepner's stepbrother is a suspect in her death aboard a Carnival cruise ship.

Two weeks after 18-year-old Anna Kepner died aboard a Carnival cruise ship, federal investigators have yet to arrest a suspect. Former sheriff’s detective James Copenhaver says agents are working through interviews with family members, other passengers and witnesses, while also reviewing extensive forensic and digital evidence.