The death of 18-year-old Florida cheerleader Anna Kepner, whose body was found under a bed in her cruise ship room, has been formally ruled a homicide by mechanical asphyxiation. Federal authorities are reportedly investigating her 16-year-old stepbrother as a suspect in the case.
Anna Kepner, an 18-year-old Florida cheerleader, was found dead under a bed in her Carnival Horizon cruise ship room on November 7. Her death has been formally ruled a homicide, caused by 'mechanically asphyxiated by other person(s)' on November 6. Federal authorities have named her 16-year-old stepbrother as a suspect in court documents. Kepner was on the cruise with her extended family, including her father, stepmother, siblings, and stepsiblings. Her 14-year-old younger brother reported hearing 'yelling' and 'chairs being thrown' while Kepner and her stepbrother were alone in their shared stateroom the night she was killed, unknowingly sleeping feet away from her concealed body. Her body was later discovered by a staff member, hidden under a bed, stuffed in a blanket, and covered by life vests. Kepner's ex-boyfriend, Joshua Westin, claimed she 'didn’t feel safe around' her stepbrother, alleging sexual harassment and a 'creepy obsession,' with Westin's father also stating the stepbrother 'always carried around a big knife.' Kepner, a devout Christian, was set to graduate and planned to join the US Navy to become a K9 police officer. Her biological mother learned of her daughter's death via news reports and was reportedly banned from attending the memorial service by Kepner's ex-husband.
