Shocking new revelations have emerged in the puzzling death of Anna Kepner, the 18-year-old high school cheerleader who met a tragic end aboard the Carnival Horizon cruise liner last month.

Court records out of Florida now claim the prime suspect—a 16-year-old boy tied to Kepner’s blended family—insists he has zero recollection of the fatal event.

Bombshell custody filings in Brevard County reveal anxious text messages between the teen’s parents, Shauntel and Thomas Hudson, as they scrambled to shield their son from the tidal wave of media coverage engulfing the case. Shauntel, also Kepner’s stepmother, notified her former husband that their son kept insisting he couldn’t remember what happened—even when pressed for answers about Anna’s grisly demise.

Anna Kepner’s death, declared a homicide, has set social media ablaze and captured international intrigue. An autopsy report leaked to ABC News lays bare the grim truth: the teen died of mechanical asphyxia, with the death certificate chillingly stating she was asphyxiated by ‘other person(s).’ In plain terms, someone used force to cut off Anna’s air supply.

Kepner, who was gearing up for her final year at her Space Coast high school, was traveling with her father, grandparents, stepmom (Shauntel Hudson), and two step-siblings—including the 16-year-old now under investigation. The family boarded the Carnival ship in Miami, unaware their holiday would take a deadly turn.

Despite the outcry, the FBI and local medical examiner have maintained a wall of silence, fueling gossip and speculation as investigators focus on the family’s inner circle. Court papers stemming from a fierce custody battle over Shauntel and Thomas Hudson’s youngest child confirm federal agents have singled out the 16-year-old stepsibling as a suspect. The teen was reportedly placed with a relative after returning from the cruise, aiming to keep him away from relentless press attention.

Neither parent’s legal teams responded to media questions this week, sidestepping the swirl of rumors. While Thomas Hudson has accused his ex-wife of violating parenting agreements, private texts show the parents fretting over their son’s welfare and the explosive fallout from Anna’s death. In one message, Thomas reassures the boy and pleads for him to remember he is loved, no matter the scandal consuming their family. The mystery around Anna Kepner’s death only deepens as authorities keep details locked up tight, and the cruise ship tragedy continues to grip the public’s imagination.