FedEx driver arrested for kidnapping and murder of 7-year-old girl

(CNN) — A FedEx driver was arrested and charged Friday with the kidnapping and murder of a 7-year-old girl who went missing from the driveway of her Texas home earlier this week, police said.

Athena Strand’s body was found Friday night, Wise County Sheriff Lane Akin said at a news conference.

“It hurts our hearts to know that this girl died,” Akin said Friday.

“It’s one of the most difficult investigations I’ve ever been involved in because it’s a girl. And every time a girl dies, it’s a blow to the heart,” she said.

Athena was reported missing Wednesday and authorities began a search throughout Wise County, located northwest of Fort Worth. Authorities believe the girl was killed within an hour of her abduction in the family driveway, which is about 60 feet from her home.

Tanner Lynn Horner, 31, is being held in the Wise County Jail on charges of murder and aggravated kidnapping, according to his website. Bail was set at $1.5 million, Akin said. It was not clear if Horner already has an attorney.

Horner, identified by authorities as a contract driver for FedEx, was allegedly making a delivery to Athena’s home at the time she went missing.

Earlier Friday, police said they received a tip that helped investigators determine that Horner abducted the girl from her driveway.

Authorities did not indicate a possible motive behind the incident and said Horner did not know the family or the child.

Athena’s cause of death remains under investigation and her body was taken to the medical examiner’s office on Friday, Akin said.

Athena Strand’s mother posts a moving message

Strand’s mother, Maitlyn Presley Gandy, said in a Facebook post that “a sick and vicious monster” took her daughter from her “for no reason.”

“I can’t describe the pain and utter rage I feel. Missing her doesn’t reflect what I feel,” Gandy said in the Saturday post accompanying a video of Athena, then 3-years-old. “I want the world to know my baby, my first baby, my first true love, the reason I breathe.”

“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 to be killed and discarded by a monster,” he added. “I want everyone to know about her, everyone in this world, that she is my baby and she was taken from me. I want everyone to know her face and her voice and how amazing she is,” he wrote. she.

Athena will be remembered for many things, including her dream of growing up to be a Viking princess with tattoos like her father’s, how much she loved her two little sisters, and her love of all things pink, her mother wrote.

In a statement to CNN, FedEx expressed its condolences.

“Words cannot describe our shock and grief at the reports surrounding this tragic event. First and foremost, our thoughts are with the family during this very difficult time and we continue to cooperate fully with the investigating authorities,” the statement said.

CNN’s Alaa Elassar, Aya Elamroussi and Rebekah Riess contributed to this report.

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