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June 11, 2026 / 4:59 PM EDT
/ CBS News
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The step-grandmother of Timothy Hudson, the 16-year-old stepbrother of Anna Kepner who has been charged in her death and sexual assault, is calling for charges against Kepner's father and stepmother over alleged neglect during their cruise vacation.Kepner, an 18-year-old high school cheerleader, was on a Carnival cruise ship with her family, including her father and stepmother Chris and Shauntel Kepner, when she was killed."The lack of parental supervision on a floating city," said Sonya Ziske, who says she helped raise Hudson. "Putting three teenagers, two boys and a girl in a room together that were not raised together, It's just a recipe for disaster."This is the first time Ziske, who is also Shauntel Kepner's stepmother, has spoken to the media about the incident. According to Ziske, when she and her husband, who is Shauntel Kepner's biological father, tried to reach out to her about the incident after reading reports about it online, she wouldn't explain what happened. "Whatever you do, just don't talk to the media," is all Shauntel Kepner told them, according to Ziske.Hudson has told his family he has no recollection of the night Kepner died. Ziske believes alcohol was involved and that he may have blacked out."He truly does not remember," Ziske said. "Timothy has said that they were drinking. I believe 100% those kids were drinking on the ship."
