Athena Strand: Missing 7-Year-Old Girl Was Found Dead in Wise County

Athena Strand, the missing 7-year-old girl, was found dead in Wise county after a 2-day search and amid cold temperatures.

Athena Strand, missing 7-year-old girl, was found dead in Wise County. (Photo: WFLA)

7-Year-Old Girl Went Missing

Athena Strand went missing from her father’s house. The Wise County Sheriff’s Office first received a call from the stepmother of the 7-year-old girl. By the time she called the Sheriff’s office to report, she said that she already spent an hour looking for the girl.

According to a published report in CBS News, an Amber Alert was issued on Thursday for Athena Strand. Many volunteers came out to help search for the child.

Meanwhile, Wise County Sheriff Lane Akin said earlier this week that the 7-year-old girl likely ran away. However, he did not rule out foul play. He said, “It could be any number of things and we’re looking at all those possibilities.”

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Body of the Missing 7-Year-Old Girl Was Found

On Friday evening, the body of the missing 7-year-old girl was found about 6 miles away from her home. It was also found during the investigation that the contract driver of a FedEx truck abducted Athena and that she likely died within an hour based on digital evidence and on a confession.

Tanner Lynn Horner, 31 years old, is now in the custody t the Wise County Jail on charges of capital murder and aggravated kidnapping. His bond is set at $1.5 million.

The Sheriff’s office said that by the time the 7-year-old girl went missing, Horner dropped off a package at the home. They suspected that he probably abducted her about 200 yards away from the home. Meanwhile, there was no information about his motive and it was found that he did not know anyone from the family including the 7-year-old girl.

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