Amber Alert: FedEx contract driver accused of taking and killing 7-year-old Athena Strand
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Investigators believe the 7-year-old girl who vanished from her North Texas home on Wednesday was abducted and then killed about an hour later.
Without knowing her fate, authorities issued a statewide Amber Alert the following day for Athena Strand, whom the Wise County Sheriff's Office said was found dead early Friday evening.
Law enforcement did not immediately say where she was found or how she died.
They revealed, though, that a tip led them to a FedEx contract driver who was making a delivery near the girl's home at about the same time she went missing. Investigators believe that driver, who's identified as 31-year-old Tanner Horner, took and then killed Athena.
The sheriff's office did not elaborate on how they connected Horner to the missing girl.
Horner was taken into custody and booked into the Wise County Jail on capital murder and aggravated kidnapping charges. His bond was set at $1.5 million.
FedEx sent ABC the following statement:
"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. At this time, any further questions should be directed to law enforcement."
