Texas: Probe finds Fed Ex driver behind Athena Strand, 7-year-old's abduction and murder

In Wise County (Texas), where a seven-year-old girl was out playing on the premises of her father’s property in their home and was abducted and killed by a Fed Ex delivery man. The police have taken the culprit Tanner Lynn Horner, a man of 31 from Lake Worth in Texas into custody. The judge set the bond at $1.5 million.

The Sheriff of Wise County, Lane Akin, said it is one of the most challenging cases he has ever handled as it involves a little girl, and when a child of that age is murdered, it breaks his heart.




Athena was last seen on November 30 around 6 PM in her father’s home, County Road 3573, Paradise, Texas.

The police knew that the girl had disappeared after a Fed Ex driver delivered in front of Athena’s home.

On December 2, Friday, investigators searching for the little girl spotted a suspicious car on County Road 4599, 114 Boyd, Texas, which is around 7 miles from her home. By 10 PM, the Sheriff declared that the girl’s body had been found.

The investigators found evidence that Horner kidnapped the girl near her main gate, around 200 yards from her residence’s doorstep. The police think that Athena was murdered soon after she was abducted. Digital evidence and cooperation of Fed Ex management helped the police capture Horner.

FAQs:

How many children go missing in the USA each day?
An average of 2300 children go missing each day.

How does the USA have such a high number of child kidnappings?
Divorce disputes on child custody lead to kidnappings. Ease of transport helps in running away easily.