Father claims ex-wife failed to supervise son involved in investigation into stepsister's death on cruise ship

TITUSVILLE, Fla. A 16-year-old boy at the center of an FBI inquiry into the death of his 18-year-old stepsister on a Carnival cruise last month reportedly went on the trip without his fathers consent, according to court filings. The father, Thomas Hudson, alleges in family court documents that his ex-wife did not adequately monitor the teen during the voyage.

Hudson stated that the teen and his stepsister, Anna Kepner, were allowed to share a cabin on the ship, and he accused his ex-wife of failing to supervise her son properly. The court motion, filed Thursday, seeks expanded visitation rights for Hudson with both of his children.

According to the documents, Kepner was discovered asphyxiated under the bed in the cabin she shared with her younger stepbrother. Her death has officially been classified as a homicide.

Kepner, a high school cheerleader from Floridas Space Coast who was preparing for graduation next year, was traveling with her father, stepmother, her stepmothers children, and her grandparents on the Carnival Horizon sailing from Miami. The circumstances surrounding her death remain unclear, with authorities from the FBI and the South Florida medical examiners office withholding details for weeks.

Author: Chloe Ramirez