Anna Kepner, from Florida was found dead on a Carnival cruise ship by a member of staff with an investigation underway into what happened to the teenage cheerleader
The stepmum of an 18-year-old girl who was found dead on a Carnival cruise ship sent a chilling text to her ex-husband, dad of the stepbrother suspect, 32 hours after she was found dead.
Anna Kepner, from Titusville, Florida had been on a Carnival cruise with her family when a member of staff found her body in the cabin she was staying in, seemingly concealed underneath the bed. Authorities have now ruled Anna’s death to be a homicide and an investigation into the tragedy is ongoing.
The teenager’s cause of death has since been identified as “mechanical asphyxia,” adding that she “was mechanically asphyxiated by other person(s)”. Mechanical asphyxia is where someone is strangled by an object or physical force.
READ MORE: Stepbrother of cheerleader, 18, killed on cruise faces probe over ‘involvement’READ MORE: Teenager Anna Kepner found dead on Carnival cruise ship was victim of homicide
Now, court documents have revealed a message that Shauntel Kepner sent to her ex-husband, Thomas Hudson. The documents obtained by PEOPLE were filed in the divorced couple’s ongoing custody battle.
The documents claim that the message, which was sent on November 8 at 7.30pm, had the subject line “Emergency”. It read: “I need you to call me asap it’s an emergency.”
This message was sent one day after Anna’s body was found on the Carnival Horizon. In a court filing, Hudson said “[he and Shauntel’s] oldest minor child is a suspect in the death of [Anna] that occurred on that cruise.”
Some 32 hours had elapsed between Anna’s body being found and the message being sent. At present it is not clear why she waited so long to tell her ex-husband about the tragedy.
Another message exchange included in the filing was one about the pair’s 16-year-old son. The child, who is a person of interest in the investigation, is currently living with a family member. This family member has a power of attorney, and the teen can only be moved if both parents consent. Currently, the only people who know the location are law enforcement, Shauntel, and Hudson.
The exchange was on Shauntel’s cancellation of a visit for Hudson and his youngest daughter. Hudson wrote: “I kept my mouth shut when you told me that you can’t jeopardize your marriage for helping [redacted] your son.”
Shauntel is now married to Christoper Kepner, who is Anna’s dad. Anna’s grandmother Barbara Kepner told ABC News the night before her death Anna had been with her grandparents in the casino.
Barbara said that she couldn’t remember anything unusual. She told ABC that her granddaughter had bid them goodnight, saying: “Meemaw, I love you guys. I’ll see you. … I’ll see you later”
The case continues.
