There has been a horrific tragedy on a Carnival cruise ship.
A teenager’s body was found aboard the Carnival Horizon cruise ship traveling from Miami to the Caribbean, and she has just been identified amid ongoing investigation by police.
Keep reading to find out more…
Relatives identified the individual as Anna Kepner, an 18-year-old high school cheerleader from Titusville, Fla. who was on a family trip when the tragedy occurred, per ABC News.
A housekeeper found her body under the bed in her stateroom after docking on November 8, CBS News reports, per police.
The Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner determined her time of her passing to be 11:17 a.m. on November 7, though no cause or manner was disclosed yet, per Newsweek.
According to the CBS report, criminal charges may now be filed against a stepsibling.
In an emergency motion submitted in a divorce case involving her stepmother Shauntel Hudson, seeking to reschedule a hearing in the proceedings, her attorney said she has been told by FBI investigators that “a criminal case may be initiated” against one of her children.
“An extremely sensitive and severe circumstance has arisen wherein the Respondent/Mother will not be able to testify at the hearing at this time,” the documents state, per CBS.
Anna was on a family vacation in the Caribbean with her father, stepmother and three stepsiblings.
According to family members, she had said the night before she wasn’t feeling good and went back to her room. She didn’t show up for breakfast the next day, so a search began.
Surveillance video footage, swipe card data and cellphone records are now being analyzed by law enforcement, as well as interviewing guests on the ship, according to CBS.
“The death of a guest traveling on the Carnival Horizon voyage that returned to PortMiami on Saturday morning, Nov. 8, is being investigated,” a Carnival Cruise Line spokesperson told People.
“Since this is an ongoing matter under the jurisdiction of law enforcement, it is up to the FBI’s Miami public affairs office to provide further details. Our focus is on supporting the family of our guest.”
This story is still developing.