What happened to Athena Strand? Missing Texas 7-year-old’s body found in Wise County

Athena Strand, a 7-year-old Texas girl reported missing by her stepmother on Wednesday, November 30, was found dead seven miles from her home, Wise County Sheriff Lane Akin said at a press conference on Friday night.

On Friday, December 2, at a press conference in Cottondale, Wise County Sheriff Lane Akin announced that Athena Strand’s body was found and the suspect, who confessed to the murder, was in custody.

Tanner Lynn Horner, 31, a FedEx truck driver, confessed to abducting and killing Athena Strand on Wednesday afternoon after delivering a package to Athena's family home. Authorities said that the suspect was charged with capital murder and aggravated kidnapping but did not elaborate on the details of the murder. Akin said that the suspect was being held in the Wise County jail on $1.5 million bail.

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Athena Strand had an argument with her stepmom before she disappeared

On Wednesday, November 30, Athena Strand was reported missing by her stepmother, who told police that the two had an argument while her father was on a hunting trip. The stepmother said that she discovered Strand missing when she went to the girl's room later that evening when she was about to prepare dinner. Wise County Sheriff Lane Akin told NBC 5:

“We know that there was a little bit of an argument between her and her step-mom last night but it isn’t anything unusual. There was that argument, then step-mom went to fix dinner, came back to get Athena, and Athena wasn’t in her room.”

After trying to find her stepdaughter for an hour, the stepmother called the police, who immediately began sweeping the neighborhood in search of the missing 7-year-old. An Amber alert for the missing child was issued on Thursday.

Police initially inferred that the missing girl might have run away from home following an argument with her stepmother and wandered off, unable to find her way back to the residence. However, family members seemingly concerned about her whereabouts told the police that while Athena had a history of leaving home after an argument, she never stayed away past dark.

Strand’s aunt, Keeland Kulbeth, who assisted the police in their search, reiterated her disbelief that her niece would willingly leave home, telling NBC 5 “we definitely don’t believe Athena ran off.”

She added:

“She may have been upset at the dad’s leaving, and may have, I don’t know honestly, just from what I was told, she may have gotten upset. She loved people, loved animals, and loved flowers. She’s a very girly girl. I just can’t see her running off and leaving.”

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In the days that followed, several law enforcement agencies, including EMS and volunteer firefighters, along with 200 civilian volunteers, assisted in the search for the missing girl. After an overwhelming response from a number of volunteers on Thursday, authorities decided to keep the investigation within the framework of the law enforcement agencies.

The search for Strand continued on Friday until her body was found. Authorities said that Strand died an hour after she was abducted. Police are yet to disclose the cause of death.