00:00The biological mother of Anna Kepner, the 18-year-old Florida cheerleader whose lifeless body was found crammed under a bed and wrapped in a blanket on a Carnival Horizon cruise ship in early November, is speaking out, questioning why the teen was sharing a cabin with her stepbrother, now reportedly suspected in her death.
00:18Heather Wright, who had been estranged from her daughter for several years, bashed the teen's father, her ex, to Fox News Digital for apparently painting her as a villain, as authorities formally ruled the girl's death a homicide.
00:32Wright alleged that she was told not to attend her daughter's memorial service, claiming her ex and Anna's father, Chris Kepner, threatened to have her arrested for unpaid child support.
00:42Why am I the bad guy, Wright told the outlet. He put them in the same room together.
00:46The Florida teen, affectionately nicknamed Anna Banana, and her blended family set sail on November 2nd from Miami for a six-day Carnival cruise, which was supposed to set sail throughout the Caribbean.
00:57The teen was on the ship with her father, her new stepmom, Chantel Hudson, grandparents, siblings, and step-siblings.
01:04Before tragedy struck, Anna had plans to join the U.S. Navy after graduation, and eventually become a K-9 police officer.
01:11But on the fourth night of the cruise, the fun-loving teen reportedly told family members at dinner that she was not feeling well and decided to go back to her room, according to the Daily Mail.
01:20When she didn't show up for breakfast the next morning, a desperate search was made of the massive ship, which can carry nearly 4,000 passengers.
01:27The search came to a disturbing end, when a maid on the ship made a grisly discovery.
01:31Anna was reportedly found dead, wrapped in a blanket, covered in life jackets, and crammed underneath a bed inside the cabin she shared with two other teens, one of which was her 16-year-old stepbrother.
01:42The FBI, who have been looking into the matter, have been tight-lipped on the investigation.
01:46But in a bombshell twist, Anna's 16-year-old stepbrother was then revealed to be a suspect in her death.
01:52The disturbing information emerged from an unexpected source.
01:55According to a court motion filed on November 17th from a messy custody dispute between Anna's stepmother, Chantel, and her ex-husband, Thomas, Chantel requested that a hearing be rescheduled,
02:07because of a, quote, extremely sensitive and severe circumstance, which could lead to a criminal case against her son.
02:13A separate legal brief submitted by Chantel's ex also painted a clearer picture, naming Anna's 16-year-old stepbrother, who was identified as TH in documents, a suspect in the teen's killing.
02:25A copy of Anna's death certificate, which was obtained by ABC News, ruled the teen's death a homicide, confirming she was, quote,
02:33mechanically asphyxiated by other persons.
02:36A previous report from ABC News said the 18-year-old died from asphyxiation from an arm across her neck.
02:42Creepy details have also been emerging about Anna's 16-year-old stepbrother, who was, quote,
02:47obsessed with her.
02:48The father of the slain 18-year-old's ex-boyfriend is sounding an alarm about the 16-year-old suspect,
02:54telling Inside Edition that the boy had a creepy obsession with Anna and was once caught climbing on top of her while she slept.
03:00Stephen Weston cited conversations with his son to Inside Edition, claiming that the stepbrother wanted to date her
03:05and relentlessly pursued her despite their newly blended family.
03:09She was scared of him, because he always carried around a big knife.
03:13Weston said his son tried to warn Anna's parents, but told him,
03:15they didn't want to believe me.
03:17No charges have been filed in the case, and the FBI have not officially named any suspects.
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