TITUSVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The 16-year-old stepbrother of the Florida high school senior who died this month on a Carnival cruise ship has been identified as a suspect in her death, according to court documents filed by his parents.
The disclosures — contained in motions filed in an ongoing custody dispute — offer the clearest public indication that federal investigators are scrutinizing a member of the victim’s own blended family.
The documents show both parents acknowledging that their middle child — identified in court only by his initials “T.H.” — is under FBI investigation in connection with the death of Anna Kepner, a high school cheerleader from Florida’s Space Coast.
Her death aboard the ship has drawn international attention and remains shrouded in uncertainty. Neither the FBI nor Carnival has said publicly how Kepner died, whether a crime occurred, or what led agents to focus on the teen.
On Thursday evening, a private memorial service was held for Kepner at a church in Titusville, some 40 miles (65 kilometers) east of Orlando.
A spokesperson for the FBI has declined to comment about the case, saying the agency “does not provide operational updates about ongoing investigations.”
A final autopsy report detailing the cause and manner of death is still pending, according to the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner’s office.
“T.H.” is "now a suspect in the death of the step child during the cruise,” Thomas Hudson, the boy's father, said in court papers seeking custody of the youngest of the three children he shares with his ex-wife.
Hudson's ex-wife, Shauntel Hudson, also acknowledged in family court filings that her middle child was a suspect in the death of Kepner aboard the Carnival Horizon ship. Shauntel Hudson married Kepner's father after her divorce from Thomas Hudson. Kepner was traveling aboard the ship with Shauntel Hudson and her minor children.
“It is true that there is an open investigation regarding the death of the biological daughter of the stepfather and T.H. is a suspect regarding this death which occurred recently on a cruise ship,” Shauntel Hudson's attorney wrote.
Shauntel Hudson wrote that this week she and her ex-husband had agreed to have the teenage boy live with a relative “to ensure the safety of the youngest child of the parties." She also said that her ex-husband had hired an attorney for their son due to the probe into Kepner's death.
Earlier this week, Shauntel Hudson's attorney had asked for a delay in a court hearing scheduled next month because of the FBI investigation. The attorney argued that her client cannot be compelled to testify, as any testimony Shauntel Hudson may give “could be prejudicial to her or her adolescent child in this pending criminal investigation.”
Kepner's loved ones had said Thursday's memorial in Titusville would be a celebration of life for the girl. Her family encouraged attendees to wear colorful clothes instead of the traditional mourner’s black, “in honor of Anna’s bright and beautiful soul.”
Kepner’s obituary described her as someone who loved spending time on the water and said she was planning to graduate high school next year from Temple Christian School in Titusville.
The Carnival Horizon can hold nearly 4,000 guests and sails to the Caribbean. Carnival Cruise Line said the ship returned to PortMiami on Nov. 8 as planned and the ship was working with the FBI Miami office to investigate the incident.
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FILE - Carnival Cruise Line's Carnival Horizon cruise ship is shown docked at PortMiami, Friday, April 9, 2021, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee,File)
Declan Rice proved why he's a leading candidate to be the Premier League's player of the season by inspiring Arsenal to a come-from behind victory at Bournemouth that opened up a six-point lead on Saturday.
The England midfielder scored two second-half goals — with almost identical low, side-footed finishes — in a 3-2 win on the south coast.
Rice was a doubt for the match because of a knee injury that forced him out of the 4-1 win over Aston Villa on Tuesday. He was fit enough to return and was the difference between the teams.
“We are going to need everyone chipping in at different points so happy to help the team,” said Rice, who scored twice in a Premier League game for the first time.
Arsenal fell behind in the 10th minute when Evanilson stroked into an unguarded net after intercepting a woeful pass out from the back by Gabriel Magalhaes.
The Brazil center back made amends by lashing in the equalizer six minutes later, following a mazy run by Noni Madueke, for a second goal in as many starts since returning from six weeks out injured.
After Rice's double, a long-range strike by Bournemouth substitute Eli Junior Kroupi in the 76th minute made for a tense finale but Arsenal held on to record a fifth straight win, keeping Villa and Manchester City at arm's length in the title race.
Villa is the closest challenger to Arsenal after a 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest.
City can return to second place, four points behind Arsenal, by beating Chelsea on Sunday.
Villa rebounded from its first loss in two months — at Arsenal — when captain John McGinn scored twice in the second half, building on England striker Ollie Watkins' long-range opener in first-half stoppage time.
Morgan Gibbs-White reduced the deficit to 2-1 in the 61st minute only for McGinn to restore Villa's two-goal cushion after a poor piece of goalkeeping from Forest's John Victor, who raced out of his area in an attempt to collect a ball over the top. McGinn easily rounded Victor and slotted the ball home from 30 yards (meters).
Victor went off injured immediately after the goal.
Villa's 11-game winning run — which included eight victories in the league — was ended on Tuesday by a 4-1 thumping by Arsenal.
Wolves beat West Ham 3-0 to finally claim a first league win of the campaign and end its historically bad start to a top-flight season.
No team has taken this long to record its first win in a Premier League since the competition’s inception in 1992.
Jhon Arias, Hwang Hee-chan and Mateus Mané scored first-half goals for Wolves, which moved onto six points, still 12 from safety with 18 games remaining.
Wolves manager Rob Edwards said he was torn between feeling “a bit of relief and really pleased.”
“We should enjoy it," he said, "but it’s only one win. That’s all it is.”
Wolves was only six points behind next-to-last Burnley, which lost at Brighton 2-0, and eight off third-to-last West Ham.
West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo said his team's performance was “embarrassing” and the worst in his coaching career.
"I don’t recall one day that I felt so bad in a football pitch,” Nuno said.
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Arsenal's Declan Rice celebrates after scoring his sides third goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Bournemouth and Arsenal in Bournemouth, England, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Arsenal's Declan Rice celebrates after scoring his sides second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Bournemouth and Arsenal in Bournemouth, England, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Brighton and Hove Albion's Georginio Rutter, left, celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Brighton and Hove Albion and FC Burnley in Brighton and Hove, England, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (Adam Davy/PA via AP)
Wolverhampton Wanderers' Hwang Hee-Chan, right, celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham United in Wolverhampton, England, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (Nigel French/PA via AP)
Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins, right, has a shot saved by Nottingham Forest goalkeeper John Victor during their English Premier League soccer match in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (Cody Froggatt/PA via AP)
Aston Villa's John McGinn celebrates scoring their side's second goal during their English Premier League soccer match against Nottingham Forest in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (Cody Froggatt/PA via AP)
Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White celebrates after scoring his sides first goal during their English Premier League soccer match against Aston Villa in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (Cody Froggatt/PA via AP)
Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins celebrates after scoring his sides first goal during their English Premier League soccer match against Nottingham Forest in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (Cody Froggatt/PA via AP) /PA via AP)
Aston Villa's John McGinn celebrates scoring their side's third goal during their English Premier League soccer match in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (Martin Rickett/PA via AP)
