Reports that a young girl was kidnapped and slain by a deranged FedEx driver who was later apprehended as the suspect. Athena Strand, 7, is the victim of a 31-year-old man, Tanner Horner, as the main suspect.
7-Year-Old Girl Abducted, Viciously Killed
The girl was seen last Friday and was kidnapped two days before when she was reported missing last Wednesday, reported Express UK.
The alleged murderer is Horner, who was the initial suspect in the kidnap and murder case. Lane Akin, the sheriff of Wise County, stated at a media briefing that Athena's body was located southeast of Boyd, approximately 10 miles from where she had disclosed as missing, noted NBCDFW.
He added that the loss of the seven-year-old daughter grieved her family immensely, and it hurt them to know how the child was killed.
While transporting the body to the medical examiner's office, her remains were accompanied by Texas Rangers at the front and the rear. Akin stated that he spent time with the victim's family and said the concern over the case touched them.
Also, speaking of the devastation and loss of the girl left them angry at how she died. It was a terrible loss of their lives caused by a deranged FedEx driver.
Deranged FedEx Driver Is Primary Suspect
An Amber alert was issued last Wednesday for the young girl 'Athena,' with the girl's stepmother disclosing the girl was missing around 5.40 p.m. when Athena was not in her room.
Before asking for assistance from the sheriff's office, the stepmother went looking for around an hour. Helicopters installed with infrared cameras were used on Wednesday night, as said by Akin, and yet they failed to find the child.
Last Friday, after two days of searching, he said police knew early about a FedEx delivery at the Strand's home somewhere around when Athena went missing. Thanks to the excellent work of investigators, those who assumed the driver had kidnapped the daughter were now less certain.
Officials held in custody include Tanner Horner, a 31-year-old FedEx contract driver from Lake Worth, who handed a package to Athena's residence that same day, citing Knews Media.
The official added the suspect is accused of capital murder and kidnapping with a bail bond of $1.5 million. The sheriff's office did not share details of the confession regarding the confession, digital proof, and what was recovered from his home during a search. Also, the suspect was not an acquaintance of the family too.
Akin mentioned that during the murder probe wherein the investigators speculated the suspected murderer had planned the kidnapping. It was tragic that it was within an hour when Horner decided to murder the helpless 7-year-old girl.
During a press conference, the official regretted the outcome of the investigation ended in the girl's death. He added a child's death is sad. A young girl was taken from her home by a deranged FedEx driver; seen at the time but killed the seven-year-old in an hour.
