According to court documents, the man suspected of killing Athena Strand, 7, last month is also charged with unrelated child sex abuse.
Details of the Report
In connection with Athena’s disappearance and death, Tanner Horner, a 31-year-old contract FedEx driver from Fort Worth, is accused of capital murder and aggravated kidnapping.
According to court records, the offenses took place in 2013 – one each in June, August, and December. There was no more information concerning the offenses available at the time.
On Nov. 30, Athena’s house in Wise County, roughly 30 miles northwest of Fort Worth, was reported gone. Two days later, her body was located.
Arrest Warrant Document
An arrest warrant document states that Horner, who was delivering a Christmas present to Strand’s house, admitted to hitting Strand by mistake while he was reversing his delivery vehicle but claimed she wasn’t gravely hurt.
According to the complaint, Horner claimed he panicked, put the 7-year-old into the van, and then strangled her out of fear that she would inform her father.
Athena’s father, Jacob Strand, filed a complaint against FedEx in a Wise County court, alleging that the firm puts “threatening people in a position of trust” even though they are not directly employed by the worldwide shipping giant. It demands damages of more than $1 million.
Maitlyn Gandy, Athena’s mother, has recruited a legal team to look into her daughter’s murder and has urged for stronger recruiting standards for the delivery personnel.
Gandy stated at a news conference that “hiring and screening rules must be put in place so that monsters wearing delivery uniforms don’t show up on our children’s doorsteps.”
With a bond amount of slightly over $1.5 million, Horner was still being held in custody on Wednesday at the Wise County jail.
