Athena Strand, a seven-year-old girl from Texas, has been found dead after allegedly being kidnapped by a FedEx delivery driver.
As reported by NBC News, Strand was reported missing from her father's home on Wednesday evening (November 30). The news of her disappearance started a community-wide search involving approximately 200 volunteers from the area.
Tragically, Wise County Sheriff Lane Akin announced on Friday (December 2) night that the young girl's body was discovered southeast of the city of Boyd - roughly 11 miles away from her father's home.
Police officials said that a FedEx truck driver, Tanner Lynn Horner, 31, abducted Strand and that she likely died within an hour based on digital evidence and a confession, CBS News reported.
According to the Wise County Sheriff's Office, Strand was dropped off from school at her home in Paradise at 4:30 PM on Wednesday (November 30).
After being dropped off, her father left to go hunting, which was when the young girl and her stepmother allegedly got into an argument.
"We know that there was a little bit of an argument between her and her step-mom last night but it isn’t anything unusual," Akin said during a police search. "There was that argument, then step-mom went to fix dinner, came back to get Athena, and Athena wasn’t in her room."
Her stepmother reportedly called the police to report her missing around 6:40 PM that day when she didn't find Strand in her room. An Amber Alert was then issued the next day, which was when local volunteers joined officers in the overnight search for the young girl.
According to CNN, Horner was allegedly making a delivery to Strand's home at the time she disappeared. Authorities disclosed during a press conference that they received a tip that helped them determine the FedEx driver as the suspect who abducted the child.
"We knew early on in the investigation that there had been a FedEx driver, made a delivery in front of the house, about the same time that little Athena, seven-year-old Athena, came up missing," Akin told reporters.
However, officials did not indicate a possible motive and said that the suspect did not know the family or the child, per CNN. In addition to this, Strand's cause of death remains under investigation.
Read Athena Strand's mother's post:After confirmation of her death, Strand's mother, Maitlyn Presley Gandy, posted a devastating statement on social media calling her a "princess" and describing her murderer as a "cruel, sick monster".
"Athena is innocent, beautiful, kind, intelligent, and just the brightest, happiest soul you could ever meet. I don’t want her to be the girl known as the one murdered and discarded by a monster," she said.
"I want everyone to know, every single person in this world, that this is my baby and my baby was taken from me. I want everyone to know her face and her voice and just how wonderful of a person she is," she added.
In a statement to CNN, FedEx also expressed its condolences and sympathy to Strand's family. They also directed any further questions to law enforcement.
"Words cannot describe our shock and sorrow at the reports surrounding this tragic event. First and foremost, our thoughts are with the family during this most difficult time, and we continue to cooperate fully with the investigating authorities," the statement reads.
Horner is being held at the Wise County Jail on charges of capital murder and aggravated kidnapping. He is expected in court on Monday (December 5) for a detention hearing and his bond is set at $ 1.5 million.
Furthermore, a GoFundMe titled "Athena's Justice" was created on Friday (December 2) by her mother, Maitlyn Presley Gandy. It has garnered $44,275 in donations at the time of writing - almost reaching its $50,000 goal - and will be "dedicated to seeking justice to the fullest extent".
Our thoughts go out to everybody affected by this tragedy.
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