The body of missing seven-year-old Athena Strand was discovered on Friday, two days after she disappeared from outside her home in Paradise, Texas.
At a press conference, Wise County Sheriff Lane Akin said Strand was allegedly abducted and killed by 31-year-old FedEx driver Tanner Lynn Horner who had delivered a package to her house.
Strand likely died “within an hour” of her kidnapping, said Akin.
Horner had confessed to the crime and has been charged with capital murder and aggravated kidnapping. He is being held on $1.5 million bond in Wise County Jail, the sheriff added.
“We’re just sad it didn’t end the way that we hoped that it would end,” said Akin.
Texas Department of Public Safety
Strand went missing on Wednesday afternoon after returning home from school, Akin said during an earlier press conference.
Horner was working for the delivery company as a contractor. He was not related to Strand’s family and did not know Strand or any of her relatives previously. He likely abducted her on the property’s driveway, around 200 yards from the house, said Akin.
Extensive searches of the local area proved futile after Strand’s step-mother reported her missing. The youngster’s body was discovered some 10 miles from her home.
Strand’s family was “devastated” by her death, said Akin. “They’re angry because of what happened ― a precious child taken from their lives.”
