The mom of a Florida teenager who tragically handed away on a Carnival cruise ship has spoken out, revealing she was not knowledgeable of the incident till a lot later.
Eighteen-year-old Anna Kepner was found useless on November 7 throughout a household trip in worldwide waters between Mexico and Florida.
Accompanied by her father, Christopher Kepner, stepmother Shauntel Hudson, and stepsiblings, Anna’s loss of life has drawn consideration, particularly as her stepbrother is below investigation concerning the incident.
In a current interview, Anna’s organic mom, Heather Wright, expressed her misery over not being notified by Kepner about their daughter’s loss of life. She realized of the tragedy via a web based search.
Including to her anguish, Wright shared that her youngest son was knowledgeable by a pal in school that his sister had been murdered, a revelation she described throughout a heart-wrenching interview with NewsNation.
A textual content message urging her to verify if her daughter was on a cruise prompted Wright right into a frantic seek for solutions about Anna’s whereabouts.
After failing to get in contact together with her daughter or her ex-husband, Wright searched on-line for an ’18-year-old died on cruise ship’.
‘And that’s when my daughter’s face popped up throughout Google,’ she revealed.
Anna Kepner, 18, was discovered useless, wrapped in a blanket and lined with life vests, in her cabin on board a Carnival cruise on November 7
Anna’s mother, Heather Wright, revealed in a current interview that she wasn’t notified about her daughter’s loss of life and discovered by Googling ’18-year-old died on cruise ship’
The Florida teen was touring together with her father, stepmother, siblings, and stepsiblings on the Carnival cruise and was discovered useless in worldwide waters between Mexico and Florida (file photograph)
Wright defined that her fraught relationship together with her ex-husband stored her from being near her daughter.
She confessed that she solely referred to as Anna on her birthday and holidays. Wright mentioned she didn’t even know Anna was residing with stepsiblings on the time of her loss of life.
Wright informed NewsNation that Kepner had remarried a girl named Tabitha after their divorce.
She added that Tabitha had primarily raised her daughter. Wright had no concept that they have been divorced, and that Kepner had remarried once more to Hudson.
‘Christopher and I don’t speak by any means, and he made it extraordinarily tough for me to also have a relationship with my daughter,’ she informed NewsNation.
Wright, who now lives in Oklahoma, claimed that she wasn’t allowed to attend Anna’s memorial and was informed by Kepner that she’d be arrested ‘instantly for again baby help’ if she set foot in Florida.
Nonetheless, Wright informed the outlet that the menace didn’t cease her, and she or he confirmed as much as the service in disguise.
Anna’s organic mom added that she additionally wasn’t notified by the authorities of her daughter’s loss of life.
Wright additionally informed NewsNation that she wasn’t allowed to attend her daughter’s memorial, however snuck in disguised
The teenager’s reason behind loss of life was discovered to be from asphyxiation through a bar maintain, which is an arm throughout the neck, ABC Information first reported.
She was discovered wrapped in a blanket and stuffed below a mattress in her cabin.
Anna’s ex-boyfriend, Josh Tew, 15, beforehand informed the Day by day Mail that her little brother heard yelling and chairs being thrown within the cabin earlier than she was discovered useless.
Josh added that Anna had been within the cabin together with her 16-year-old stepbrother, who Day by day Mail beforehand reported was being investigated in connection together with her loss of life.
‘And that’s when he knew one thing was happening. There was screaming happening. One thing was banging round, like chairs have been getting thrown round within the room,’ Josh mentioned.
‘However he wouldn’t speak to me any extra. He mentioned the FBI informed them that in the event that they speak they’ll get arrested as a result of it’s tampering with an investigation or one thing.’
Anna was residing together with her father in Florida on the time of her loss of life. Her new stepmom and stepsiblings had not too long ago moved into their residence
Anna’s ex-boyfriend beforehand informed the Day by day Mail that her 16-year-old stepbrother had tried to get on prime of her one night time whereas they have been FaceTiming
Josh mentioned he referred to as the Federal Bureau of Investigation to report what he was informed.
He added that the 16-year-old stepbrother was obsessive about Anna, and he even caught him making an attempt to get on prime of her one night time whereas they have been FaceTiming.
‘He [the stepbrother] walked in there and tried to get on prime of her … however he obtained caught by me within the strategy of it. I used to be like, “What the hell are you doing in her room?” Then he obtained scared and ran away. And I heard his footsteps operating via the home as a result of he obtained caught.’
‘She informed me that she was uncomfortable with them [his step relatives] being on the home as a result of she didn’t absolutely know who they have been,’ Josh mentioned.
He added that Anna’s father met her stepmother lower than a yr earlier than the 2 households started residing collectively.
Hudson is at the moment in a dispute together with her ex-husband, who has filed for custody of their different baby, a nine-year-old woman.
Wright admitted that she wasn’t near her daughter due to the estranged relationship she had together with her ex, Christopher Kepner
‘The respondent took the remaining minor youngsters on a cruise with a stepchild of her paramour,’ his submitting says.
‘The sixteen-year-old baby is now a suspect within the loss of life of the stepchild through the cruise. Whereas launched from custody, the sixteen-year-old baby is residing with a 3rd social gathering.’
Hudson filed a response to the allegations, denying any abuse or neglect within the residence, however confirming that there was an investigation into her 16-year-old son.
The Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner lists Anna’s time of loss of life at 11.17am on November 7, however has not revealed its findings.
Police haven’t filed expenses towards Anna’s stepbrother or publicly named him because the suspect in her loss of life.
