The death of Anna Kepner, who was found dead while on board a Carnival Cruise with her family, has been ruled a homicide.
The FBI is currently investigating the case, as the 18-year-old's body was discovered on board the ship on its way from the Sunshine State to Mexico.
Anna, who had been on the cruise with her grandparents, her dad, his new wife, her siblings, and step-siblings, was found deceased on 7 November, with the time of death being confirmed as 11:17am by the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner.
According to a copy of the death certificate issued by the Florida teenager's family to ABC, Anna's death was caused by 'mechanical asphyxia' and the date of injury was listed as 6 November.
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In the document, it states that she was 'was mechanically asphyxiated by other person(s)', though autopsy and toxicology results have not yet been made public.
CBS News reported that authorities were analysing video surveillance and swipe card data for the teenager's cabin, while the Daily Mail previously alleged that she was discovered 'stuffed under a bed' while 'wrapped in blankets and life jackets' by a room attendant.
It's believed that FBI agents are currently looking into Anna's step-brother's connection to the murder, which happened in the middle of a six-day cruise in the Caribbean, with the teenager understood to be feeling unwell during dinner before returning to her cabin, where she was found.
Shauntel Hudson, Anna's step-mother, filed a court document last week, asking for a pause in the ongoing custody dispute with the father of her kids, claiming 'that a criminal case may be initiated against one of the minor children of this instant action'.
It claims that due to the 'extremely sensitive and severe circumstance' of the case, Hudson would be unable to testify at the current time.
The court document also stated that Hudson and her two minor children were aboard the cruise when Anna died.
While Anna's step-brother is a suspect in the case, her grandparents, Jeffrey and Barbara Kepner, said that the pair were 'two peas in a pod', with the latter claiming: "I know that those two kids cared about each other in the right way.
"I can't accuse him because I don't know what happened in that room."
Anna's grandparents claimed that he was the only one spotted going in and out of the room, though they simply said that it 'will be for the courts to decide'.
Her family also highlighted that there were no signs of sexual assault, as well as no signs of drugs or alcohol in her system.
No charges have been filed yet.
Topics: Crime, US News, Cruise Ship
Joshua Nair