DALLAS — The FedEx delivery driver accused in the slaying of 7-year-old Athena Strand has been indicted on capital murder and aggravated kidnapping charges by a Wise County grand jury.
Tanner Horner, a 31-year-old FedEx contract driver from Fort Worth, was indicted Thursday in connection with Athena’s disappearance and death in late November, court records show. Horner’s attorney declined to comment.
Athena’s mother, Maitlyn Gandy, thanked the grand jury in a statement provided by her legal team, which she hired to investigate Athena’s death.
“Hearing the facts and circumstances of my 7-year-old daughter’s kidnapping and murder was undoubtedly very difficult for them,” Gandy said. “I want them to know that their work is deeply appreciated. Tanner Horner’s indictment is the beginning of a long road through the justice system.”
Athena was reported missing from her home Nov. 30 in Wise County, about 30 miles northwest of Fort Worth. Her body was found two days later.
Horner told authorities he accidentally hit Athena while reversing his delivery van but she was not seriously injured, according to an arrest-warrant affidavit. Horner said he panicked and threw her in the van, and later strangled the 7-year-old because he worried she would tell her father, the affidavit says.
Gandy has described her daughter as an animal lover who loved Christmas, and has said a package Horner delivered was a Christmas present for Athena.
“Please take a moment to hug your children and loved ones,” Gandy wrote in her statement. “No one is promised another day.”
Gandy also has called for stricter hiring policies for delivery employees.
Jacob Strand, Athena’s father, filed a lawsuit in Wise County accusing FedEx of placing “dangerous persons in a position of trust” even if they are not employed directly by the international shipping company. It seeks more than $1 million in damages.
Since Horner’s arrest Dec. 3, he has remained at the Wise County jail with bail set at more than $1.5 million. He also faces three unrelated child sexual assault charges out of Tarrant County for offenses that occurred in 2013, court records show.
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