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Athena Strand, 7, found dead after authorities say delivery driver abducted her

An Amber Alert was issued Thursday for the Wise County girl, who had been missing since Wednesday.

Update:
Updated at 12:29 p.m. Dec. 3 to include additional information throughout.

The body of a missing 7-year-old girl was recovered Friday night after authorities say a FedEx driver abducted her two days earlier.

Tanner Lynn Horner, 31, of Fort Worth was arrested Friday on charges of capital murder and aggravated kidnapping connected to the disappearance and death of Athena Strand. It was unclear whether he had an attorney; authorities said he made a confession but they did not go into detail.

Athena’s body was found about 7 or 8 p.m. southeast of Boyd, about 25 miles northwest of Fort Worth, Wise County Sheriff Lane Akin said at a late-night news conference.

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Akin, who called the investigation “one of the toughest” he has been involved in, said officials believe the girl died within about an hour of being taken from her home. Authorities have not released her cause of death.

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“Anytime there’s a child that dies, it just hits you in your heart,” the sheriff said. “You compare that child to your own children when they were that age, and it just takes the wind out of your sails.”

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An Amber Alert was issued Thursday for Athena, who went missing the previous day from the 200 block of County Road 3573 in Paradise — about 10 miles from where her body was found.

Akin said at a Friday-afternoon news conference that the girl was alone with her stepmother Wednesday after her father went on a hunting trip. He said the stepmother called 911 to report Athena missing after an argument.

The sheriff said concern grew the longer Athena was missing and that detective work became a greater emphasis. On Thursday, hundreds of volunteers helped with a massive search of the area where Athena went missing, KXAS-TV (NBC5) reported.

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Her aunt Keeland Kulbeth from Oklahoma joined the search and said she couldn’t believe Athena would just walk away.

“She loved people, loved animals, loved flowers,” she told the station. “She’s a very girly girl. I just can’t see her running off and leaving.”

At Friday night’s news conference, Akin said Horner made a delivery in front of the home about the same time Athena went missing. He added that Horner did not know the family.

On Saturday, Akin told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram he believed the girl’s death was a “crime of opportunity.”

The investigation was still unfolding, but there was “digital evidence” and FedEx assisted authorities in finding Horner, James Dwyer, acting special agent in charge of the FBI’s Dallas field office, said Friday night.

Akin said the sheriff’s office, the Texas Rangers and the FBI were glad to have had the opportunity to serve the community but “sad that it didn’t end the way we would hope that it would end.”

“This community does not like losing our children,” Akin said. “We could see it because of all the people who came out and helped us throughout this ordeal. It was most meaningful what the citizens did because we have a close-knit group of folks here in Wise County.”

Akin said the girl’s relatives, most of whom are from Oklahoma, were appreciative of the community effort to find Athena. He asked that the family be given the “privacy that they need” and prayers.

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“They’re devastated,” Akin said. “They’re angry because of what happened, a precious child taken from their lives.”

Athena’s mother, Maitlyn Gandy, described her daughter in a Facebook post as “just the brightest, happiest soul you could ever meet.” In another post, she said Athena wanted to be a “Viking princess” when she grew up.

FedEx released an statement on social media Saturday saying the company was cooperating with authorities.

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“Words cannot describe our shock and sorrow surrounding this tragic event,” the company said.

Horner was being held at the Wise County jail Saturday, with bail set at $1.5 million. Public records do not show that he has a previous criminal record.

A candlelight vigil for Athena has been scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday at First Baptist Church of Cottondale, 145 County Road 3355.

Staff writer Isabella Volmert contributed to this report.

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