FORT WAYNE, Texas (Court TV) — A man faces a potential death sentence in Texas if he’s convicted of kidnapping and murdering a 7-year-old girl.
Tanner Horner is charged with murder in the death of Athena Strand. (Tarrant County Jail)
Tanner Lynn Horner, 35, is charged with aggravated kidnapping and capital murder of a person under 10 years old in the death of Athena Strand, who disappeared from her home on Nov. 30, 2022.
Athena, 7, lived at home with her father and stepmother and had been sorting laundry in a converted storage shed that served as her and her sister’s bedroom when she disappeared. Athena’s mother, Elizabeth Strand, called 911 at 6:41 pm after she was unable to find the little girl.
Detectives on the case determined that FedEx had delivered a package to the Strand home in the timeframe when Athena had disappeared. They further found that the package was delivered by a company contracted by FedEx called Big Topspin. Working with the companies, investigators were able to obtain video from the van that delivered the package that showed a young girl in the van talking to the driver, later identified as Horner.
When he was approached by police, Horner allegedly admitted to taking Athena and confessed that the child was dead. He said that he had accidentally hit her with the van, and while she wasn’t seriously hurt, he was worried that she would tell her father. Police said Horner said he panicked and decided to kill the child. “When he attempted to break Athena’s neck, it did not work, so he strangled her with his bare hands in the back of the FedEx van,” detectives wrote in an arrest affidavit reviewed by Court TV.
Horner allegedly led police to an area approximately 15 miles away, where Athena’s body was found in the water.
Opening statements are scheduled to begin on Tuesday, April 7.
