Anna Kepner's 16-year-old stepbrother has been indicted by a grand jury for murder and sexual assault.
Kepner, 18, died while vacationing with her family on the Carnival Horizon cruise ship. Her body was found on Nov. 7 and the ship, which had left Miami for the Caribbean, returned to port on Nov. 8.
Federal prosecutors allege that Kepner's stepbrother, Timothy Hudson, sexually assaulted her and then asphyxiated her with an object. Hudson was sharing a room with Kepner.
"Our hearts go out to the victim's family during this unimaginable loss," said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida.
According to the Daily Mail, Kepner was having dinner with her family on November 6 when she said she did not feel well and went back to her cabin. The next morning, she did not show up for breakfast, and the family began searching the vessel.
The outlet detailed that Kepner's body was found by a maid who went to service her room. Citing two anonymous sources, it added that the body was found wrapped in a blanket, covered with life jackets, and stuffed under a bed.
Kepner was a high school senior and a straight-A student who planned to enter the military when she graduated.
The Associated Press reported that Kepner's father, Christopher, released a statement, saying the family would trust "the justice system to pursue the truth with care and integrity."
"The situation is deeply painful and complex for the entire family," Kepner said in the statement.
Hudson was initially charged as a juvenile on Feb. 2 and the case remained sealed until U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom ordered it transferred for adult prosecution. Hudson now faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.
