Authorities continue investigating the death of 18-year-old Anna Kepner after new details [1] surfaced about concerns raised regarding her 16-year-old stepbrother, who has been identified as a “suspect” in the case.
Kepner’s former boyfriend’s father, Steven Westin, told “Inside Edition” that the teen’s stepbrother had been “obsessed with her” and had demonstrated troubling behavior before her death, as reported [2] by The New York Post.
Westin said his son, Joshua, had described multiple incidents involving the stepbrother, including one instance in which he allegedly entered Kepner’s room while she was asleep.
According to Westin, Joshua “saw her stepbrother come into the room when she was sleeping and get on top of her” during a FaceTime call. Westin said the teenager “always carried around a big knife,” which he claimed made Kepner fearful.
Interview with Anna Kepner’s ex-boyfriend, who says he once saw her stepbrother “climb on top of her” during a FaceTime call. pic.twitter.com/9R8qNpHEQg [3]
— , (@Nerdy_Addict) November 21, 2025 [4]
“She was scared of him because he always carried around a big knife,” Westin told the outlet. He said the stepbrother “relentlessly pursued her” despite the family’s recent merging.
“He’s like infatuated, attracted to her like crazy. He always wanted to date her,” Westin said. He added that his son tried to alert Kepner’s parents but believed “They didn’t want to believe me.”
Court documents filed by her stepmother, Shauntel Hudson, stated that Kepner’s body was discovered on Nov. 8 inside her cabin on a six-day cruise. The documents said she was found under her bed and covered with life vests.
The FBI began questioning the stepbrother following the discovery. Kepner had been traveling with her father, stepmother, 14-year-old brother, and 16-year-old stepbrother. The ship was on its return to Port Miami when her body was found.
The Miami-Dade medical examiner reported that she died on Nov. 7 at 11:17 a.m. Kepner was a senior at Temple Christian School in Titusville, Florida, and was expected to graduate in the spring. Her funeral was held on Thursday in Titusville.
Here is Anna Kepner being transported from the Carnival cruise ship where she was found deceased on Saturday.
This is truly sad. Anna was 18 YO and had her whole life ahead of her.
Deaths aboard cruise ships are investigated by the FBI.
This does not mean she was murdered.… pic.twitter.com/qJNYSNIbHf [5]
— Jennifer Coffindaffer (@CoffindafferFBI) November 10, 2025 [6]
Her biological mother, Heather Kepner, spoke with “Inside Edition” and said she had been barred from the funeral due to long-standing tensions within the family. She said she planned to attend despite that.
“I’m going to wear a disguise, I’m going to put a wig on and wear some really tall shoes because I’m 4 foot 9,” she said.
She told the outlet she had not regularly seen her daughter in years after relocating to Oklahoma, but remained proud of her aspirations. Kepner had hoped to join the U.S. Navy and later become a K-9 police officer.
“She was a really good child. She never really complained about much. She never really cried that much as a baby, and as a teenager, she was the same. Just always happy,” she told FOX 35.
“She was always trying to make everybody smile. An extremely happy child.”
The FBI continues to lead the investigation because the death occurred in international waters and has not released further information.