The body of a missing 7-year-old Texas girl was recovered Friday night after authorities say a FedEx driver kidnapped her two days earlier.
31-year-old Tanner Lynn Horner was arrested Friday afternoon on charges of capital murder and aggravated kidnapping connected to the death of Athena Strand. It was unclear whether he had an attorney; authorities said he made a confession but they did not go into detail.
Athena’s body was found about 7 or 8 p.m. southeast of Boyd, about 25 miles northwest of Fort Worth, Wise County Sheriff Lane Akin said at a late-night news conference.
Akin, who called the investigation “one of the toughest” he has been involved in, said officials believe the girl died within about an hour of being taken from her home.
“Anytime there’s a child that dies, it just hits you in your heart,” the sheriff said. “You compare that child to your own children when they were that age, and it just takes the wind out of your sails.”
An Amber Alert was issued Thursday for Athena, who had been missing since the previous day from the 200 block of County Road 3573 in Paradise.
Akin said at an Friday-afternoon news conference that the girl was alone with her stepmother Wednesday after her father left to go on a hunting trip. He said the stepmother called 911 to report Athena missing after an argument.
The sheriff said concern grew the longer Athena was missing and that detective work became a greater emphasis. On Thursday, hundreds of volunteers helped with a massive search of the area where Athena went missing.
Her aunt Keeland Kulbeth from Oklahoma joined the search and said she couldn’t believe Athena would just walk away.
“She loved people, loved animals, loved flowers,” she told the station. “She’s a very girly girl. I just can’t see her running off and leaving.”
At Friday night’s news conference, Akin said Horner made a delivery in front of the home about the same time Athena went missing. He added that Horner did not know the family.
The investigation was still unfolding Friday night, but there was digital evidence and FedEx assisted authorities in finding Horner, James Dwyer, acting special agent in charge of the FBI’s Dallas field office, said at the news conference.
Akin said the sheriff’s office, the Texas Rangers and the FBI were glad to have had the opportunity to serve the community but “sad that it didn’t end the way we would hope that it would end.”
“This community does not like losing our children,” Akin said. “We could see it because of all the people who came out and helped us throughout this ordeal. It was most meaningful what the citizens did because we have a close-knit group of folks here in Wise County.”
Akin said the girl’s relatives, most of whom are from Oklahoma, were appreciative of the community effort to find Athena. He asked that the family be given the “privacy that they need” and prayers.
“They’re devastated,” Akin said. “They’re angry because of what happened, a precious child taken from their lives.”
Horner was being held at the Wise County jail Friday night, with bail set at $1.5 million. Public records do not show that he has a previous criminal record.
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