The delivery driver who allegedly killed a Texas girl reportedly said she was fine after he backed into her with his van.
Thirty-one-year-old Tanner Lynn Horner told authorities he hit seven-year-old Athena Strand with his work van, but she was not hurt, an arrest warrant released Thursday said, Today reported.
According to the documents, the suspect told officers he put her in the back of the van and killed her because he “panicked” and feared she would tell her father about the incident:
BREAKING: Wise County officials announce they recovered the body of 7-year-old Athena Strand. A FedEx driver is in custody with a $1.5M bond related to her abduction and death. Sending my condolences to the north Texas family😢💔 pic.twitter.com/vaBsVAQBlU
— Tahlia (@TahliaSG) December 3, 2022
“The affidavit said that when Athena was put in the van she was speaking and told Horner her name before her death. Athena disappeared from her home in Paradise, Texas on Nov. 30. Her body was found two days later, officials said, southeast of the city of Boyd, a city about 11 miles away,” the Today article read.
When he placed her in the van, Horner allegedly tried to break the child’s neck to kill her but eventually strangled her, Fox 4 reported Thursday.
Here is Tanner Horner's booking photos and intake information. Charged with Aggravated Kidnapping and Capital Murder of a Person Under 10 yoa. #AthenaStrand pic.twitter.com/snLDifbIgx
— SF Investigates (@SF_investigates) December 3, 2022
“Because of the age of that child and because it was an abduction, we are going to [ask the district attorney to] pursue the death penalty,” Wise County Sheriff Lane Akin said this week.
The child’s official cause of death has not yet been released. Meanwhile, records show why her stepmother did not know she was outside the home when the incident occurred, according to the Fox report.
“The stepmother was preparing dinner and Athena was sorting dirty laundry and staying in a converted shed that served as the bedroom for her and her stepsister next to the main home that is under renovation,” the outlet said:
A package that was a Christmas gift for the child was delivered to the residence, and the delivery was made by a company that was contracted with FedEx.
Investigators eventually found Horner, who reportedly confessed. He now faces charges of capital murder and aggravated kidnapping. His bond was set at $1.5 million.
A few days ago, hundreds gathered outside the Wise County courthouse to pray and remember Athena:
“I want to squeeze her mom and tell her, ‘I’m so sorry that this happened and she’s going through this nightmare,'” Paradise resident Karen Erwin said.
When speaking of the suspect, she Erwin, “I just hope that he gets what he deserves and that precious angel is flying high today and sees all this pink for her.”
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