THE stepbrother of Anna Kepner has been arrested and charged in connection with her death months after her body was found hidden on a Carnival Cruise ship, her dad has said.

The 18-year-old cheerleader from Florida was discovered dead in her cabin aboard the Carnival Horizon on the morning of November 7.

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Anna Kepner’s step-brother has appeared in court just months after her body was found hidden on a Carnival Cruise shipCredit: Facebook
 

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Kepner was enjoying a family vacation when her body was found hidden in a cabin by a maidCredit: Instagram
Her body was hidden under a bed, wrapped in a blanket and covered in life jackets and it was later found that she died of asphyxiation “from a chokehold” and had bruises on her body.

There were no signs of sexual assault and she did not have alcohol or drugs in her system.

Now, her father Chris Kepner, has told ABC News that her teenage stepbrother, his stepson, has been arrested and charged in connection to her death.

He added that the unidentified 16-year-old boy has been placed in the custody of a third party.

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The U.S. sun was unable to independently verify these details due to a court seal of the proceedings as he is a minor.

However, he was seen on Friday walking into a courtroom to face a federal judge.

As the proceedings are sealed, it is not publicly known what the appearance was about or what he has been charged with.

As well as being accompanied by his attorneys, the courtroom also held prosecutors and US Marshals, NBC Miami reported.

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After the court appearance, he was then seen walking into a probation office where defendants are usually processed for pretrial release.

One of his lawyers told reporters at the courthouse that they had no comment.

Statement by Anna Kepner’s dad and stepmom:

On February 6, Chris Kepner and his wife Shauntel, the biological mom of the teenage boy and Anna’s step-mother, issued the following statement:

“We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice for their dedication, professionalism, and thoroughness in the investigation into the murder of our daughter.

“We appreciate the seriousness, care, and integrity with which this case has been handled.

“The loss of our daughter is a pain that will never fully heal. She was taken from us in a violent and senseless way, and our family has been permanently changed. Our grief is overwhelming, and her absence is felt in every part of our lives. No parent should ever have to bury their child, and no words can fully express the depth of our loss.

“We believe in accountability and in the importance of justice being carried out. Our daughter deserves justice, and her life deserves to be honored through a full and fair legal process. We are grateful to the investigators and prosecutors who have worked to uncover the truth and to ensure that this crime is treated with the seriousness it warrants.

“During this investigation, we were advised by the FBI to remain quiet. We respected that request out of trust in the process and in hopes that it would help the investigation. However, as grieving parents who continue to live with unanswered questions and ongoing pain, we can no longer remain silent. Our daughter’s life matters, and we will continue to speak out to honor her, to seek accountability, and to ensure that her case is not forgotten.

“While this tragedy has deeply hurt our family, we will not let it tear us apart. Our focus remains on honoring our daughter’s memory and seeking justice for her. We thank the FBI and the Department of Justice for their continued efforts, dedication, and commitment to this case.”

Investigators who were left stumped by the circumstances of Kepner’s death revealed in the weeks after it that her stepbrother was being investigated and was briefly taken into custody.

His parents revealed that he was “a suspect” and that the FBI was considering whether to criminally charge him or not, an emergency motion filed in court and obtained by The U.S. Sun previously revealed.

The motion stated, “The sixteen year old child is now a suspect in the death of a step child during the cruise”.

He was released from custody and went to live with a third party, court docs said at the time.

In the weeks following his stepsister’s death, disturbing allegations were made about the teenager, including claims that he was “obsessed” with his stepsister.

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Kepner’s father and stepmother have said that the family’s pain will ‘never fully heal’Credit: Instagram
Kepner’s ex-boyfriend, claimed that nine months before his ex-girlfriend’s death he caught her stepbrother climb on top of her as she laid on her bed.

“He’s like infatuated, attracted to her like crazy,” Westin told Inside Edition, adding “He always wanted to date her.”

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Meanwhile, a bitter custody battle was uncovered between Kepner’s stepmother and her ex-husband over their three children – an adult child, the 16-year-old boy, and a 9-year-old.

The couple’s eldest child lives with his father following an alleged “violent altercation” between him, his mother, and Hudson’s new husband, Christopher, the dad of the deceased high school cheerleader.