Athena Strand: Dead body of missing 7-year-old girl found by Wise County police Friday, suspect in custody - WFAA.com

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Authorities accidental Tanner Lynn Horner, a 31-year-old declaration FedEx driver, confessed to abducting and sidesplitting the missing miss Wednesday afternoon.

PARADISE, Texas — The assemblage of 7-year-old Athena Strand has been found, Wise County Sheriff Lane Akin said astatine a property league connected Friday night, and a fishy is successful custody. 

Tanner Lynn Horner, 31, confessed to constabulary to abducting and sidesplitting Athena Wednesday afternoon, Akin said. 

Akin said Horner, who was moving arsenic a declaration FedEx motortruck driver, had been delivering a bundle to Athena's household location erstwhile she was allegedly abducted. 

Akin said Horner is being charged with superior execution and aggravated kidnapping. He is booked into the Wise County Jail and his enslaved astatine this clip is $1.5 million.

"It's 1 of the toughest investigations I've ever been progressive successful due to the fact that it's a child," Akin said. "Any clip there's a kid that dies, it conscionable hits you successful your heart. You comparison that kid to your ain children, erstwhile they were astatine that age." 

BREAKING: Wise County Sheriff’s Office confirms this is Tanner Lynn Horner, 31, the antheral arrested and charged successful the superior execution of #AthenaStrand.

He’s from Lake Worth—charged with superior execution and aggravated kidnapping.

Bond acceptable astatine $1.5 million.

Courtesy: Facebook (@wfaa) pic.twitter.com/9wsAFoXJsj

— Matt Howerton (@HowertonNews) December 3, 2022

An AMBER Alert for Athena was issued Thursday, a time aft she archetypal went missing.

Her assemblage was recovered southeast of Boyd. A ample constabulary beingness was seen astatine a agelong of County Road 4599 Friday evening, 1 of 3 locations Horner had sent constabulary to earlier Athena was found. 

Wise made the announcement during a 10 p.m. property conference, and said the probe had lone closed a fewer hours beforehand. 

Watch the property league successful afloat below: 

FBI Acting Agent successful Charge Jim Dwyer said authorities judge Athena lone died astir an hr aft being abducted based disconnected of integer grounds and statements gathered portion interviewing Horner. 

Horner is the lone fishy authorities judge liable successful the case, Akin said. 

He did not person immoderate narration oregon transportation to the family. 

"They're devastated," Akin said astir the family's absorption to Athena's death. "They're aggravated due to the fact that of what happened -- a precious kid taken from their lives." 

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