In a tragic turn of events, Anna Kepner’s former boyfriend has made startling allegations regarding her untimely death aboard a cruise. He claims that Anna’s 16-year-old stepbrother attempted to assault her months before she passed away. This explosive revelation comes as the stepbrother is mentioned as a ‘suspect’ in recent court filings.

Josh Tew, who dated the 18-year-old cheerleader until six months ago, recounted chilling details of Anna’s final hours. She was discovered lifeless, wrapped in a blanket, and hidden beneath a bed in her cabin on November 7.

Anna was on a six-day Caribbean cruise with her father, stepmother, and their blended family when she was declared dead while the ship sailed the international waters between Mexico and Florida.

Fifteen-year-old Josh, speaking with his mother’s consent, shared that Anna’s younger brother overheard a commotion the night before her body was found. He described hearing shouting and the sound of chairs being tossed around as Anna was in the cabin with her stepbrother.

The young sibling reportedly told Josh that the stepbrother blocked him from entering the room, and he overheard Anna being shouted at aggressively, with phrases like “shut the hell up” being hurled at her.

According to Josh, the younger brother sensed that something was amiss. He described the scene, recounting the screams and the loud noises that suggested chairs were being hurled around the cabin.

‘But he wouldn’t talk to me any more. He said the FBI told them that if they talk they’ll get arrested because it’s tampering with an investigation or something.’

Josh said he called the FBI because he was so concerned about that he had been told. ‘They told me they’re glad I gave them the information,’ he said.

The former boyfriend, speaking after Anna’s emotional celebration of life in her home with of Titusville, Florida, said he ‘caught’ the 16-year-old stepbrother trying to get on top of the teen nine months ago.

He said was having a late-night FaceTime call with his then-girlfriend in the house she shared with her dad Christopher Kepner, 41, and his new partner Shauntel Hudson, who had brought her children into the home when she moved in.

Anna was laying down and ‘he walked in there and tried to get on top of her … but he got caught by me in the process of it. I was like, “What the hell are you doing in her room?” Then he got scared and ran away. And I heard his footsteps running through the house because he got caught.’

He added: ‘She was too scared to tell anybody. Because that one time that he said that if she said anything about getting on top oh her he’d do something to her.

‘She told me that she was uncomfortable with them [his step relations] being at the house because she didn’t fully know who they were.

‘That their dad had just met this woman, not even like a year ago, and she doesn’t really like her… she has an attitude most of the time and was very controlling over her. But I told her, they’re going to be your parents at the end of the day, you know.

Anna slept in the dining room of the house. ‘But most of the time she did sleep in her friend’s beds and stuff because of her being uncomfortable with him being at the house,’ he added.

‘She was the best that ever happened to me. I last talked to her three weeks ago. I was meant to go on that cruise.’ 

Daily Mail has exclusively revealed that the teenager’s stepbrother, who cannot be named for legal reasons, faces possible criminal charges.

The boy was ‘obsessed with’ Kepner and relentlessly pursued her despite their blended family, Steven Westin, Josh’s father, told Inside Edition.

‘He’s infatuated, attracted to her like crazy,’ Steven claimed. ‘He always wanted to date her.’

Westin went on to claim that his son tried to warn Kepner’s parents, but they ‘didn’t want to believe me.’ 

But Kepner’s embarrassed birth mother, Heather, was forced to wear a disguise to her daughter’s funeral. 

She told Inside Edition she had been instructed not to attend the service in Titusville, Florida – but was determined to say goodbye.

‘I’m going to wear a disguise,’ she said. ‘I’m going to put a wig on and wear some really tall shoes because I’m four-foot-nine.’ 

Heather, who lives in Oklahoma and has not seen her daughter in recent years, had previously claimed she was not informed of her daughter’s untimely death.

‘My beautiful baby girl was found dead Friday, and I just found out last night,’ she said in a TikTok video on November 11. 

‘Her dad and stepmom didn’t even try to contact me, so I’m gonna give that to God and let Him sort it out, along with whoever did this to my baby girl.’ 

But Kepner’s father, Christopher, has also claimed investigators have shared barely any details with him.

‘We were there as a family. Everybody was questioned. Everybody came off that ship. I don’t know who they are looking at or what their investigation is,’ he said.

‘The FBI hasn’t shared anything with me yet. I would imagine they’re going to be in contact with me about it – but I know as little as everybody else.

‘I have no idea what is going on right now. We are just trying to sit still and wait for answers.’

Heather described her daughter in an interview with Fox 13 as being ‘always happy’ as she recalled her daughter’s love of horseback racing and cheerleading.

‘She was a really good child,’ the heartbroken mother said. ‘She never really complained about much. She never really cried that much as a baby, and as a teenager, she was the same. Just always happy.’ 

She added that Anna cherished becoming a big sister and had a gift for lifting other’s spirits.

That was on full display as swaths of folk in Titusville packed The Grove church to pay tribute to the ‘bubbly’ teenager.

The hour-long service included photos of Anna throughout her life flashed up on a screen while the pastor described them. None of her parents read a eulogy.

Former classmate Daisy Fletcher spoke poignantly to the Daily Mail before the celebration, emphasizing her friend’s empathy for others.

Fighting back tears, she said: ‘Whenever someone was upset Anna put a lot of effort into making sure they felt really cared about, that she was really there for them.’   

The student, also 18 and who now lives in Orlando, Florida, hinted though that Anna did have ‘issues’, but would not go into detail.

‘Seeing her go through her own bouts, her own issues, it was heartbreaking,’ Daisy said. ‘She was a very kind person and actually very sturdy.

‘Anna was so bright. Both smarts wise and also the way she interacted with people. She made them laugh a lot. She laughed a lot herself, very bubbly and such a good friend.

‘Anna felt pretty confident and she deserved the good that she had in life.’

Relatives, friends and strangers who just wanted to give support thronged the church in the community where the school cheerleader had brought such joy to countless other lives.

Anna grew up on Florida’s sun-drenched Space Coast with Christopher, 41, his ex-wife Tabitha Kepner, 33, and siblings, aged 14 and nine.

Christopher and Tabitha split in 2023 but the crane operator soon found love again with Shauntel, who divorced Thomas Hudson last year and relocated to Titusville with their two youngest kids.

The tragic teen’s family arrived to Anna’s celebration of life dressed in smart casual attire on Thursday in two black stretched limos. Police guarded the entrance.

In a poignant obituary, the family wrote: ‘How can we possibly capture every bit of beauty that was Anna Marie Kepner ? Our Anna Banana, our sunshine, our babygirl? At just 18 years old, she filled the world with laughter, love, and light that reached everyone around her.

‘Anna was pure energy: bubbly, funny, outgoing, and completely herself. She never had a filter, and that was part of her charm. Whether she was practicing new makeup looks (even if she had nowhere to go), making TikToks in front of the mirror, or blasting a perfectly curated playlist on the boat, Anna lived every day with her whole heart.

‘She loved the sun, the water, boat days, island days, and beach days, anything that let her soak in the light she so easily radiated to others.’

It continued:’ She loved her siblings deeply and made sure they always felt it whether it be taking them to the park, Halloween Horror Nights, or just out for fun, because that’s who she was: thoughtful, nurturing, and always thinking of others. She had a big, beautiful heart, often sending random “I love you” messages or little gestures that made someone’s day.’

Following the grisly discovery of Anna’s body on November 7, FBI agents swarmed the cruise ship when it returned to Miami.

But the Feds have refused to say how she died – or whether she was murdered – on board 4,700-capacity liner which visited Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel before sailing back to Florida.

However, the Daily Mail has revealed onboard security footage captured Anna’s final steps as she headed back to her room on the evening of November 6 after complaining of feeling unwell during dinner.

She was sharing the cabin with her 14-year-old brother as well as the 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons. The two boys had bunk beds and Anna was in her own, according to a well-placed source.

The boys headed back to the room later that evening but the younger brother changed his clothes and went out again to take snapshots of the $800 million ship to post on social media.

When he got back he noticed Anna wasn’t in bed but presumed she was staying up late with the grown-ups and went to sleep, according to a source.

It wasn’t until the next day when the brother and stepbrother got up and headed to breakfast that the family realized the bubbly teen was missing.

As Christopher began searching the horizon for Anna, it’s believed a medical emergency was announced over the public address system.

Sources say that prompted the dad to race to his daughter’s cabin where he walked inside to find a cleaning crew had just discovered her body crammed under her bed.

The fresh clues emerged hours after court filings relating to a custody battle involving Anna’s stepmom Shauntel Hudson – with Christopher on the cruise – revealed the 16-year-old ‘suspect’ who is one of her sons.

In the paperwork, the boy’s father Thomas Hudson demands clarity on what has happened to his son, who he says is now in the care of a ‘third party’.

The dad is also seeking immediate custody of the other minor child from his marriage to 36-year-old Shauntel, a nine-year-old girl living in Titusville with her and Anna’s father.

‘The respondent took the remaining minor children on a cruise with a stepchild of her paramour,’ his filing says.

‘The sixteen-year-old child is now a suspect in the death of the stepchild during the cruise. While released from custody, the sixteen-year-old child is residing with a third party.’

The filing adds: ‘The sixteen-year-old’s future has been put in jeopardy because of the choices made by the respondent… the youngest child is at immediate risk of abuse, abandonment, or neglect in the care of the respondent.’

Shauntel hit back in a court filing denying allegations that she ‘abused, neglected or abandoned’ her children.

She added: ‘It is true that there is an open investigation regarding the death of the biological daughter of the stepfather and [boy’s initials] is a suspect regarding this death which occurred recently on a cruise ship.’

Shauntel’s filing said the boy was staying with one of her relatives and she is providing counseling for all of her children.

The Miami Dade County Medical Examiner lists Anna’s time of death at 11.17am on November 7 but has not revealed its findings.