AMBER Alert issued for 7-year-old Wise County girl
The body of Athena Strand, the seven-year-old girl from Texas who went missing on Wednesday has been found 6 miles away from her home, authorities said on Friday.
Wise County Sheriff Lane Akin said that a FedEx truck driver abducted Athena and that she likely died within an hour based on digital evidence and on a confession, CBS News reported.
The driver, Tanner Lynn Horner, 31, is being held at the Wise County Jail on charges of capital murder and aggravated kidnapping.
An Amber Alert was issued on Thursday for the child, who vanished the night before in Paradise.
According to the Wise County Sheriff’s Office, the child was dropped off from school at her home in Paradise at 4.30pm on Wednesday.
Her stepmother reportedly called police to report her missing around 6.40pm that day when she didn’t find Athena in her room after an argument.
After confirmation of her death, Athena’s mother posted a heartbreaking statement on Facebook calling her a “princess” and calling her murderer a “cruel, sick monster”.
