FedEx Driver Tanner Horner Admits To Strangling and Kidnapping 7-Year-Old Athena Strand Because He Panicked After Hitting Her With His Van

A Texas FedEx driver abducted and killed a 7-year-old girl after dropping a delivery package off for her.

31-year-old Tanner Horner told investigators that the 7-year-old named Athena Strand wasn’t seriously injured after Horner accidentally hit her while backing up his van, but he panicked and then kidnapped her. He said he had a brief conversation with her, and she revealed her name.

Horner attempted to break Athena’s neck after she told him that she was going to her father about the accident, according to the affidavit. He couldn’t break her neck, so he proceeded to strangle her ‘with his bare hands in his FedEx truck.

Horner was identified as the suspect after Investigators learned he dropped a FedEx package around the same time Athena went missing. When they took him in for questioning, Horner told authorities what happened and said he would be willing to take them to the body. 

The location he dumped Athena’s body was about 15 minutes from where she resided. 

The mother of Athena, Maitlyn Gandy, revealed Horner was delivering a You Can Be Anything Barbie to Athena’s father’s house at a news conference.

Horner is being held at the Wise County Law Enforcement Center in Texas on a $1.5million bond as prosecutors work to seek the death penalty. He is facing capital murder and aggravated kidnapping charges.