The Florida cheerleader who died aboard a Carnival cruise ship was strangled to death in a bar-style hold, according to a new report. Anna Kepner died from asphyxiation from the deadly move--an arm across her neck--and had two bruises on the side of her throat, a source involved in the case told ABC News on Friday.
The source said investigators found no evidence of sexual assault, and toxicology tests showed no drugs or alcohol in her system. Kepner was found dead on the Carnival Horizon on Nov. 8. Her body was found stuffed under a bed, wrapped in a blanket and hidden beneath several life vests, ABC reported.
Painful End
Investigators have not yet identified who killed Kepner or who hid her body — wrapping her in a blanket, covering her with life jackets, and placing her under a bed. Her stepbrother had previously been questioned by the FBI.
Kepner was on a six-day Caribbean trip aboard the Carnival Horizon with her blended family when a crew member made the tragic discovery on Nov. 7.
Her 16-year-old stepbrother allegedly had a creepy obsession with Kepner and repeatedly tried to pursue her romantically, according to reports. Sources claimed he was even once found climbing on top of her while she slept.
"She was scared of him because he always carried around a big knife," the father of Kepner's ex-boyfriend, Joshua, told "Inside Edition."
"He's like infatuated, attracted to her like crazy. He always wanted to date her."
Kepner's former boyfriend reportedly tried to warn her parents about the situation, but they didn't seem to take his concerns seriously.
Tension within the family was already high, much of it centered around conflicts between the adults.
Broken Family
Kepner's stepmother, Shauntel Hudson, was in the middle of a bitter custody battle with her ex-husband over their two children. Hudson had accused him of physically abusing the kids, adding even more strain to the family dynamic.
Kepner's own mother said she was not allowed to attend her daughter's funeral, a painful outcome she blamed on deep, ongoing conflicts within the family.
"I'm going to wear a disguise, I'm going to put a wig on and wear some really tall shoes because I'm 4 foot 9," the determined mom, who was divorced from her daughter's father 13 years ago, told "Inside Edition."
Kepner's celebration of life took place on Thursday.
In an obituary written by her family and friends, she was remembered as someone who "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."
"She never had a filter, and that was part of her charm," they heartbreakingly recalled. "She had a big, beautiful heart, often sending random 'I love you' messages or little gestures that made someone's day," the missive read.
The 16-year-old, lovingly called "Anna Banana" by her family, had big ambitions for her life. She dreamed of joining the U.S. Navy after graduation and hoped to one day work as a K-9 police officer.
A senior at Temple Christian School in Titusville, Florida, she was set to graduate this spring.
Kepner was a devoted Christian and had been baptized in May. In her obituary, her family said they find peace in believing she's now in heaven — laughing, soaking up attention, and enjoying fries with ranch, just the way she did on Earth.
