FedEx Driver Charged in Kidnapping and Killing of Girl, 7, Officials Say - The New York Times

U.S.|FedEx Driver Charged successful Kidnapping and Killing of Girl, 7, Officials Say

A hunt for a missing 7-year-old Texas miss ended with the find days aboriginal of her assemblage and a FedEx declaration operator being charged successful her kidnapping and killing, the authorities said connected Friday.

The hunt for the girl, Athena Strand, began connected Wednesday successful Paradise, Texas, astir 40 miles northwest of Fort Worth. Nearly 200 volunteers and galore instrumentality enforcement agencies, utilizing dogs and a chopper with thermal imagining, participated successful the search.

Her assemblage was recovered connected Friday but the authorities declined to specify where.

The authorities identified the FedEx operator arsenic Tanner Lynn Horner, 31, and said helium had been charged with aggravated kidnapping and superior execution of a idiosyncratic nether 10 years old.

The authorities said that Mr. Horner did not cognize the household oregon the miss and that Athena had been taken from adjacent her home.

The Wise County sheriff, Lane Akin, said that Mr. Horner confessed to sidesplitting the miss and said the authorities believed that she had been killed wrong an hr of being abducted. They declined to specify however she died oregon what led them to judge that she died wrong an hr of her abduction.

“It’s been a really, truly pugnacious fewer days and I’m truly arrogant of the radical present who helped america get immoderate resolution, to get immoderate knowing to supply answers for the families,” Sheriff Akin said during a quality league connected Friday.

The authorities said that Athena had stepped disconnected her schoolhouse autobus and arrived location successful Paradise connected Wednesday astir 4:15 p.m. Officials did not specify if anyone was location astatine the time.

Then, astir 6:40 p.m., Athena’s stepmother called 911 to study the miss missing. The authorities arrived astatine the location wrong 14 minutes, Sheriff Akin said, and an Amber Alert was issued.

Sheriff Akin said that a extremity that came successful connected Friday helped to place Mr. Horner.

“We knew aboriginal connected successful the probe that a FedEx operator made a transportation successful beforehand of the location astir the aforesaid clip that small Athena, 7-year-old Athena, came up missing,” the sheriff said. “And continued bully enactment by this investigative team, they were capable to find that the operator abducted Athena.”

James J. Dwyer, the acting peculiar cause successful complaint astatine the F.B.I. bureau successful Dallas, said that “digital grounds and partnerships with FedEx” had helped place Mr. Horner. He did not connection specifics astir the integer evidence.

The authorities said Mr. Horner is from Lake Worth, though tribunal records amusement a Fort Worth address. He was being held astatine the Wise County Jail connected $1.5 cardinal bond. It was not wide connected Saturday if Mr. Horner had a lawyer.

Approximately 840,000 children are reported missing each year, according to the Child Crime Prevention and Safety Center.

“Nonfamily abductions see kidnappings committed by acquaintances and strangers,” the halfway said. Acquaintance abductions marque up 27 percent of each kid abductions, it said, adding that abductions by strangers typically hap successful outdoor locations.

In a statement connected Twitter, FedEx said it was cooperating with the authorities.

“Our thoughts are with the household of Athena Strand during this astir hard time,” the connection said. “Words cannot picture our daze and sorrow surrounding this tragic event.”