The body of missing seven-year-old Athena Strand has been found in Wise County, Texas, Sheriff Lane Akin said at a press conference on Friday evening.
The Wise County sheriff also said a FedEx driver has been taken into custody. The driver, identified by police as 31-year-old Tanner Lynn Horner is being held at the Wise County Jail on charges of capital murder and aggravated kidnapping.
“We want to send our condolences out to the family of Athena Strand. Her body was recovered about two hours ago, maybe three,” said Mr Akin told reporters and urged the public to give them privacy.
The sheriff said Athena’s body was found about six miles away from her home. Mr Horner had dropped off a package at the home at around the time the child was abducted, the sheriff said.
She was likely abducted from her driveway, about 200 yards away from the house, around 6pm on Wednesday evening.
Athena reportedly left home after an argument with her stepmother.
Police said the woman spent “about an hour” searching for the youngster before calling the sheriff’s office. The child’s father was reportedly on a deer hunting trip in south Texas at the time of the disappearance.
She was last seen at her father’s home on County Road 3573 in Paradise, Texas, dressed in a grey long-sleeve shirt with white flowers, blue jeans with white flowers on the pockets and brown boots.
Mr Akin said the suspect provided the police with two locations, including an area of CR 4599 that was taped off by police on Friday afternoon, before leading police to Athena’s body.
Officials, however, did not describe a motive for the suspect.
Mr Horner is from Fort Worth and does not have a prior criminal record in the Tarrant or Wise counties. His social media accounts said he used to be an Uber driver, is a musician and passed out from Azle High School, reported the Fort Worth Star-Telegram newspaper.
“To be clear, the suspect does NOT reside in the City of Lake Worth, but rather near the lake itself - miles away from COLW,” tweeted Lake Worth police department chief JT Manoushagian.
“They [the investigative team] were able to determine that the driver abducted Athena and from the investigative standpoint, digitally as well as good old interviews, we think Athena died within just the very hour or so after her departure from her home,” said Mr Akin.
“This driver is a contract driver... he is from Lake Worth,” the sheriff added. The suspect’s bond has been put at $1.5m, he said.
“We really can’t get into the content of the confession, but I will say that we have a confession. It’s still very, very early, but we wanted to make sure that we got the information out.”
The sheriff also pointed out that the suspect was not related and did not know Athena’s family.
He added that a search warrant for the defendant’s home was being run by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Texas Rangers, the primary criminal investigative branch of the Texas Department of Public Safety and declined to provide further information as part of the ongoing investigation.
On being asked about what the family wanted to say to the public, the sheriff said the family “appreciated the fact that we care so much”.
They’re devastated, they’re angry because of what happened. Precious child taken from their lives.”
