FedEx driver, Tanner Lynn Horner, admits to the kidnapping and murder of the young girl, Athena Strand

After delivering a box to the house of the 7-year-old child’s family, a man admitted to the kidnapping and murder of the young girl. Investigators said she passed away an hour after the kidnapping, and they identified the suspect as a FedEx contractor.

Athena Strand was abducted by FedEx driver Tanner Lynn Horner, 31, after he delivered a box to her family’s residence, and her body was later discovered in Boyd, Texas. In a press conference on Friday, Wise County Sheriff Lane Akin stated that Horner was not a member of the family and did not know them directly. According to ABC News, deputies claimed it was unclear throughout the investigation whether Horner had a past criminal history.

In response to the tragic case, FedEx released a statement and expressed their condolences to Strand’s family. “Words cannot describe our shock and sorrow at the reports surrounding this tragic event. First and foremost, our thoughts are with the family during this most difficult time, and we continue to cooperate fully with the investigating authorities. At this time, any further questions should be directed to law enforcement,” the statement reads.