1 year ago
53
Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your regular usher to the latest news
Sign up to our escaped US Evening Headlines email
The devastated gramps of murdered seven-year-old Athena Strand has said that helium forgives the “psycho” FedEx operator accused of abducting and sidesplitting her – but besides wishes helium could person “5 minutes unsocial successful a cell” with the suspect.
Mark Strand broke his soundlessness successful a heartbreaking Facebook station connected Sunday aft his granddaughter’s assemblage was discovered astir six miles from her location successful Paradise, Texas.
Athena vanished from her location connected Wednesday and an Amber Alert was issued the adjacent day. Her assemblage was discovered connected Friday.
Police said that Tanner Lynn Horner, a 31-year-old FedEx motortruck driver, had confessed to snatching the small miss earlier sidesplitting her wrong an hr of her abduction. He is facing charges of superior execution and aggravated kidnapping.
No motive has been fixed and Mr Horner is not believed to person immoderate transportation to the small girl.
Following his arrest, the aspiring musician’s chilling opus lyrics person emerged: “Sometimes I perceive her cries. Silence is the dirtiest instrumentality successful life. If im truthful bare past wherefore bash I consciousness alive.”
Athena Strand’s gramps says helium forgives ‘psycho’ FedEx driver
The devastated gramps of murdered seven-year-old Athena Strand has said that helium forgives the “psycho” FedEx operator accused of abducting and sidesplitting her – but besides wishes helium could person “5 minutes unsocial successful a cell” with the suspect.
Mark Strand broke his soundlessness successful a heartbreaking Facebook station connected Sunday aft his granddaughter’s assemblage was discovered astir six miles from her location successful Paradise, Texas, and 31-year-old Tanner Lynn Horner was arrested connected charges of execution and kidnapping.
In the gut-wrenching societal media post, Mr Strand spoke of his turmoil arsenic helium said helium wants Mr Horner “to pain successful hellhole for each eternity” but that his religion is pushing him to privation to forgive.
“This flesh, this antheral that I am, is aggravated and I privation 5 minutes unsocial successful a compartment with the psycho that took our Athena distant from us, but there’s a brushed gentle dependable successful the backmost of my caput telling maine I request to forgive him,” helium wrote.
The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the afloat story:
Rachel Sharp5 December 2022 12:42
Texas schoolhouse districts to deterioration pinkish for Athena
Oliver O'Connell5 December 2022 12:15
Mother says her ‘princess’ was taken by a ‘cruel monster’
The heartbroken parent of Texas schoolgirl Athena Strand has described the fishy who allegedly confessed to her execution arsenic a “sick, cruel monster” successful a heartbreaking Facebook post.
Bevan Hurley reports.
Oliver O'Connell5 December 2022 11:15
Suspect taken into custody connected Friday
The Wise County sheriff announced connected Friday that a FedEx operator had been taken into custody.
The driver, identified by constabulary arsenic 31-year-old Tanner Lynn Horner is being held astatine the Wise County Jail connected charges of superior execution and aggravated kidnapping.
Oliver O'Connell5 December 2022 09:15
Heartbroken assemblage mourns loss
The First Baptist Church of Cottondale was a gathering spot for volunteers and Athena’s household portion the hunt for her was carried retired this week. A vigil volition beryllium held astatine the religion connected Tuesday.
Pastor Charles Pugh spoke with CBS News.
“Your bosom goes retired to the parents. It’s conscionable truthful random it seems like, that it happened that way,” helium said.
When the quality broke that Athena had been recovered dead, Pugh was with her parents.
“He’s conscionable benignant of numb I think,” said Pugh of her dad’s reaction. “Frustration, but helium had a bully spirit.”
At Friday night’s property conference, Sheriff Lane Akin was visibly emotional.
“It hurts our hearts to cognize that kid died,” helium said, “This assemblage does not similar losing our children and we tin spot it due to the fact that of each the radical who came retired and helped america passim this ordeal.”
Oliver O'Connell5 December 2022 07:15
Devastating quality announced connected Friday evening
After 2 days of searching, Wise County Sheriff Lane Akin delivered the devastating quality that Athena’s assemblage had been recovered astatine a Friday evening quality conference.
Oliver O'Connell5 December 2022 05:15
What happened connected the time Athena disappeared
The Wise County Sheriff’s Office says that seven-year-old Athena Strand went to schoolhouse and returned to her location successful Paradise, Texas astatine astir 4.30pm connected Wednesday.
Her begetter had near his woman and girl astatine location to spell hunting, and Athena and her stepmother allegedly got into an statement aft she arrived location from school.
“We cognize that determination was a small spot of an statement betwixt her and her step-mom past nighttime but it isn’t thing unusual,” Wise County Sheriff Lane Akin said. “There was that argument, past step-mom went to hole dinner, came backmost to get Athena, and Athena wasn’t successful her room.”
At astir 6.40pm Athena’s stepmother called 911 erstwhile she realised that the small miss was not successful her chamber nor anyplace other successful the location aft spending an hr looking for her.
Police issued an AMBER Alert and the hunt for Athena began. Some 200 volunteers from the section assemblage joined instrumentality enforcement officers successful the hunt overnight, done Thursday, and into Friday.
Athena’s assemblage was recovered astir 11 miles distant from her home.
“It hurts our hearts to cognize that kid died,” Sheriff Akin said during a property league connected Friday evening. “It’s 1 of the toughest investigations that I’ve been progressive successful due to the fact that it’s a child. And anytime there’s a kid that dies, it conscionable hits you successful your heart.”
Oliver O'Connell5 December 2022 03:15
Suspect expected successful tribunal connected Monday
Tanner Horner is expected successful tribunal connected Monday for a detention hearing.
He was booked into Wise County Jail astatine 2am connected Friday connected counts of aggravated kidnapping and superior execution of a idiosyncratic nether the property of 10.
His enslaved is acceptable astatine $1.5m.
Oliver O'Connell5 December 2022 01:15
Everything we cognize astir Tanner Horner
According to Wise County Jail records, Tanner Horner was booked astatine 2am connected Friday connected 1 number of superior execution of a idiosyncratic nether 10 and aggravated kidnapping. His enslaved was acceptable astatine $1.5m.
Oliver O'Connell5 December 2022 00:15
Register for escaped to proceed reading
Registration is simply a escaped and casual mode to enactment our genuinely autarkic journalism
By registering, you volition besides bask constricted entree to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our starring journalists
Please participate a valid email
Please participate a valid email
Password
Must beryllium astatine slightest 6 characters, see an precocious and little lawsuit quality and a number
Must beryllium astatine slightest 6 characters, see an precocious and little lawsuit quality and a number
Must beryllium astatine slightest 6 characters, see an precocious and little lawsuit quality and a number
First name
Please participate your archetypal name
Special characters aren’t allowed
Please participate a sanction betwixt 1 and 40 characters
Last name
Please participate your past name
Special characters aren’t allowed
Please participate a sanction betwixt 1 and 40 characters
You indispensable beryllium implicit 18 years aged to register
You indispensable beryllium implicit 18 years aged to register
Year of birth
I would similar to beryllium emailed astir offers, events and updates from The Independent.
Read our Privacy notice
You tin opt-out astatine immoderate clip by signing successful to your relationship to negociate your preferences. Each email has a nexus to unsubscribe.
{{#verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}}
Already person an account? motion in
Register for escaped to proceed reading
Registration is simply a escaped and casual mode to enactment our genuinely autarkic journalism
By registering, you volition besides bask constricted entree to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our starring journalists
Please participate a valid email
Please participate a valid email
Password
Must beryllium astatine slightest 6 characters, see an precocious and little lawsuit quality and a number
Must beryllium astatine slightest 6 characters, see an precocious and little lawsuit quality and a number
Must beryllium astatine slightest 6 characters, see an precocious and little lawsuit quality and a number
First name
Please participate your archetypal name
Special characters aren’t allowed
Please participate a sanction betwixt 1 and 40 characters
Last name
Please participate your past name
Special characters aren’t allowed
Please participate a sanction betwixt 1 and 40 characters
You indispensable beryllium implicit 18 years aged to register
You indispensable beryllium implicit 18 years aged to register
Year of birth
I would similar to beryllium emailed astir offers, events and updates from The Independent.
Read our Privacy notice
You tin opt-out astatine immoderate clip by signing successful to your relationship to negociate your preferences. Each email has a nexus to unsubscribe.
{{#verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}}
Already person an account? motion in
English (US)