Feds investigating stepbrother of dead teen on Carnival cruise

Federal authorities are investigating Anna Kepner’s minor half-brother following the 18-year-old Florida cheerleader’s recent death aboard a Carnival cruise headed to the Caribbean.

A security source briefed on the investigation told ABC News that authorities are trying to determine whether she died as a result of a medical emergency, an overdose or an altercation with her younger half-brother.

The cause and manner of his death on November 8 remain unclear, although his body was reportedly found wrapped in a blanket and covered in life jackets under a bed on the ship Carnival Horizon.

Details regarding Kepner’s half-brother are obscure. However, Kepner’s stepmother, Shauntel Hudson, was on the ship with Kepner’s father and reportedly requested a postponement of the custody hearing after the FBI informed her that “a criminal case may be initiated against one of the minor children in this immediate action,” reads a court filing obtained by WFTV Channel 9.

The motion also stated that: “Any testimony Respondent may give, whether written or oral, could be detrimental to his child or adolescent in this ongoing criminal investigation, therefore Respondent cannot be compelled to testify.”

Kepner’s family previously told ABC News that she died shortly after “taking the test to join the military” and that she “wanted to do something that would help her community.”

At the time, Carnival Cruise Line told the outlet that it was “focused on supporting our guest’s family and cooperating with the FBI.”