Community mourns loss
The heartbroken mother of murdered seven-year-old Athena Strand posted a gutwrenching video on social media of the little girl’s sister crying for her sibling days before she was found dead in a ditch.
The video, posted by Maitlyn Presley Gandy on Monday, shows her other daughter sobbing uncontrollably for her “sissy”. Athena lived in Oklahoma with her mother and sister but was visiting her father in Paradise, Texas, at the time.
On Wednesday, Athena vanished from her father’s home and an Amber Alert was issued the next day. Her body was discovered on Friday.
Police said that Tanner Lynn Horner, a 31-year-old FedEx truck driver, confessed to snatching the little girl before killing her within an hour of her abduction. He is facing charges of capital murder and aggravated kidnapping.
No motive has been given and Mr Horner is not believed to have any connection to the little girl.
The suspect’s neighbours spoke out of their shock at his arrest for murder. “I find it just shocking it was him,” one woman said.
