TX - Athena Strand, 8, Abducted & Murdered By FedEx Contract Driver, Tanner Horner, Paradise, 2022 #2

[rsd1200]

Children that are victims of kidnapping/sexual are often killed within a few hours.

"Acting quickly is critical. Seventy-four percent of abducted children who are ultimately murdered are dead within three hours of the abduction."

Child Abduction Statistics for Parents

Facts and important information about kidnappings in the U.S.

www.parents.com

I rarely follow these cases, they bother me. What a cold, and lonely, place to put her. If a shorthand term for child molester is considered a derogatory term to use toward someone like him, I'm sorry, but I feel if the shoe fits, wear it. I'll just type out, Child Molester, in full from here onout.

 

[rsd1200]

Did anyone see photos of the storage shed? It might be a converted "tiny house" that is popular now.

My belief is lured her into the van with the promise of a package for her, it did "accidentally" on purpose bump her and used it as an excuse to kidnap and assault her.
He doesn't want to admit he SA her. Although I hope she wasn't assaulted in that manner. Disgusting.

The latter. If he did sexually abuse her, he can't bring himself to call himself what he is, a child molester, a sex offender, it's much easier to say, I was panicked and murdered her than I'm a murdering child molester who lured her into my van, oh, and I bumped into her with my van at some point.

 

[katydid23]

Not if her father was told, but when her father was told. You can't hit a child with a van, see that she's speaking and knows her name, and drive away happy that she's alive. That child will tell her parents. Even if she was not badly injured, she'd be bruised, a broken bone, or some sign of the incident (I would think). Small child vs big rolling van.

A responsible, intelligent, adult, calls 911, has the child lay still until they arrive, and does not move her. Since she was alert and knew her name, he could have even asked if she knew her parents' phone number and called them to come down the drive, because there'd been an accident. There's a good chance it will be all over the news, he will lose his job, IF he was under the influence of anything, probably lose his license, and jail time is a real possibility. All a terrible outcome, for HIM. So, he makes a conscious decision to kill her, in an effort to hide what he'd done. If he put her in water, it's most likely an attempt to wash away evidence, so I feel he was conscious of his actions, and that it wasn't a psychotic break of some sort. He needs never be free again. His own child is probably lucky to be alive, with logic like his.

Of course the driver couldn't just drive away. But if the driver called 911, called his work dispatcher and followed accident protocol, it would work out okay. I don't think it would have been all over the news if the child was unhurt. It would just be one of many accidents . I am not even sure he would have lost his job because a small child wAlking up behind a large delivery truck would not be visible.. if he looked in review and side mirrors and backed up slowly, not knowing a little girl had walked up behind him---it would have been considered an accident. JMO

Sure, if he was drunk or high, he would have been fired and arrested. So that is bad for him. But not nearly as bad as his dire situation now. His life is over and no one cares.

 

[citizen_sleuth]

FedEx contractor has yet to answer employment questions about murder suspect in Athena Strand case

The company's address, per arrest documents, is listed as a residential home in Dallas. FedEx wouldn't reveal to WFAA when Horner started driving for the company.

www.wfaa.com

 

[Ontario Mom]

FedEx contractor has yet to answer employment questions about murder suspect in Athena Strand case

The company's address, per arrest documents, is listed as a residential home in Dallas. FedEx wouldn't reveal to WFAA when Horner started driving for the company.

www.wfaa.com

The thing is, without him having a criminal record, they're going to come up empty-handed on this line of questioning.
FedEx didn't kill that girl, and Big Topspin didn't either. One hired the other, and the other hired him. And he is the only person to blame, as far as I'm concerned.

jmo

 

[KMouse]

Did anyone see photos of the storage shed? It might be a converted "tiny house" that is popular now.

My belief is lured her into the van with the promise of a package for her, it did "accidentally" on purpose bump her and used it as an excuse to kidnap and assault her.
He doesn't want to admit he SA her. Although I hope she wasn't assaulted in that manner. Disgusting.

I know a lot of us are assuming rape as the motive, me included. If this guy touched this little girl in any way shape or form he needs to be punished for it.

 

[PommyMommy]

What an amazing outpouring of support from this community.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1602051678026481666

 

[swanniee11]

The thing is, without him having a criminal record, they're going to come up empty-handed on this line of questioning.
FedEx didn't kill that girl, and Big Topspin didn't either. One hired the other, and the other hired him. And he is the only person to blame, as far as I'm concerned.

jmo

I agree! A driver didn't kill this child, a man did. He could have been a teacher, DR, bus driver etc. A sick man did this. There are videos out there of delivery drivers speaking out regarding this case. It's devastating. IMO

 

[txsleuth70]

Did anyone see photos of the storage shed? It might be a converted "tiny house" that is popular now.

Doubtful. This is rural Texas, lower socioeconomic area.

 

[JudgeJudi]

In addition to capital murder, he’s been charged with aggravated kidnapping:

“Texas Penal Code 20.04 – Aggravated Kidnapping

(a) A person commits an offense if he intentionally or knowingly abducts another person with the intent to:
[…]
(3) facilitate the commission of a felony or the flight after the attempt or commission of a felony;
(4) inflict bodily injury on him or violate or abuse him sexually;
[…]”

Texas Penal Code 20.04 – Aggravated Kidnapping » LawServer

He said he was afraid she was going to tell her father that he hit her with the van. So what if she did - accidents do happen. A responsible person would have taken her home and explained to a parent what happened.

I believe he either enticed or forced her into the back of his truck with the intention of SA, she put up some resistance so he tried to break her neck but was unsuccessful. Having delivered the package to her home, it would be noticeable if his truck stayed outside her home for more than a minute or two so he drove off, strangled her elsewhere and dumped her body in water. Was this to make her “disappear” or did he hope that DNA would be destroyed. I’m hoping a neighbour caught him on CCTV.

The sheriff said she likely died an hour after her disappearance. I’d like to know what he knew to make that comment. A lot can happen in an hour and I can’t bring myself to even think about that.

Athena Strand: Tanner Horner strangled 7-year-old after hitting her with his van, arrest affidavit says

 

[JudgeJudi]

In a rare move, a Wise County judge sealed the arrest affidavit for Tanner Horner to give the family and community time to process Athena Strand’s death. There are a few new details from the case as communities across North Texas gather to remember the 7-year-old with candlelight vigils.

Video included.

Judge Seals Documents Surround Arrest in Athena Strand Murder Case

It may be rare but the PCA was sealed in Abby & Libby's case.

 

[JudgeJudi]

What we know about Tanner Horner:

The sheriff said he has no prior criminal history.
His truck was equipped with GPS.

He’s the married father of a one-year-old child. He posted on his own social media that his past jobs included an HVAC repairman and a Uber driver. He graduated from Azle High School in 2009, and also played in a band performing around Fort Worth.

Judge Seals Documents Surround Arrest in Athena Strand Murder Case

 

[rsd1200]

Of course the driver couldn't just drive away. But if the driver called 911, called his work dispatcher and followed accident protocol, it would work out okay. I don't think it would have been all over the news if the child was unhurt. It would just be one of many accidents . I am not even sure he would have lost his job because a small child wAlking up behind a large delivery truck would not be visible.. if he looked in review and side mirrors and backed up slowly, not knowing a little girl had walked up behind him---it would have been considered an accident. JMO

Sure, if he was drunk or high, he would have been fired and arrested. So that is bad for him. But not nearly as bad as his dire situation now. His life is over and no one cares.

He says he was afraid she would tell her father. Afraid of what? She was alive, and if he'd called 911, as you say, I wouldn't see him facing the DP at this point in time. His response to hitting her doesn't fly by usual standards. If it's truly an accident and the driver does all he can to get help, I wouldn't go after his job, or anyone who hired him.

What crossed my mind was the example of the nurse. People hit pedestrians and drive away, quite often. Albeit, letting them die in one's windshield in their garage is even more extreme, but others have actually drug the body home under their vehicle.

What's the main reason? Self-preservation. If he turns out not to be a sexual deviant, then it may actually boil down to self-preservation.

I was thinking of it more in the realm of hit and run, but in such a marriom

“In the U.S., they’re around 750,000 hit-and-run incidents annually. Two thousand of those result in fatalities,” says Dolby. Why do people run? I posed the question to Dolby, anticipating some deep-seated psychological tick.

“They don’t have licenses, they’re in a stolen car, or they’re drunk,” he stated, flatly. “Overwhelmingly, those who flee the scene of a hit and run have made an instant decision – within seconds – about the cost of staying versus taking off.” If they are driving with no license or are impaired, the choice must seem easy. Self-preservation overtakes everything else, including the basic humanity of not leaving a person to die on the road.

However, in light of the news that the judge sealed the case,

Lorraine Explains: Why do people hit and run?

The answer might surprise you, but basically it's because they're selfish scumbags

driving.ca

 

[Niner]

But arrest affidavit was already released - ?? - we read it. Why seal it now? Maybe they meant the autopsy report??

And from a previous article it said the Sheriff said the DA would file charges "next week" & that was on 12/4/22.

But the court site still has nothing on him.... but I keep looking!

 

[squareandrabbet]

I don't buy this story. Nope nope nope. What kind of story is this? I hit her but she wasn't hurt but I was scared her dad would be mad so I panicked and killed her. GMAFB

Yup... nope... this is like the Brian Laundrie defense. "She was beyond help... so I put her out of her misery, like a 19th century racehorse with a broken leg. Just wasn't thinking straight..."

!!!

 

[JudgeJudi]

Sheriff Akin said the cause of death hasn’t been determined and the complete autopsy results could take a couple of weeks. “We do believe she died by his hand” and it doesn’t appear that she was killed by the FedEx truck.

Akin said the investigation is almost complete and LE is working on turning the case over to prosecutors to formally file charges. TH is not expected to face federal charges, though the FBI provided valuable assistance to the investigation. It’s not clear if he has an attorney.

https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/crime/article269559052.html

 

[PommyMommy]

In addition to capital murder, he’s been charged with aggravated kidnapping:

“Texas Penal Code 20.04 – Aggravated Kidnapping

(a) A person commits an offense if he intentionally or knowingly abducts another person with the intent to:
[…]
(3) facilitate the commission of a felony or the flight after the attempt or commission of a felony;
(4) inflict bodily injury on him or violate or abuse him sexually;
[…]”

Texas Penal Code 20.04 – Aggravated Kidnapping » LawServer

He said he was afraid she was going to tell her father that he hit her with the van. So what if she did - accidents do happen. A responsible person would have taken her home and explained to a parent what happened.

I believe he either enticed or forced her into the back of his truck with the intention of SA, she put up some resistance so he tried to break her neck but was unsuccessful. Having delivered the package to her home, it would be noticeable if his truck stayed outside her home for more than a minute or two so he drove off, strangled her elsewhere and dumped her body in water. Was this to make her “disappear” or did he hope that DNA would be destroyed. I’m hoping a neighbour caught him on CCTV.

The sheriff said she likely died an hour after her disappearance. I’d like to know what he knew to make that comment. A lot can happen in an hour and I can’t bring myself to even think about that.

Athena Strand: Tanner Horner strangled 7-year-old after hitting her with his van, arrest affidavit says

BBM My guess is that LE has placed him elsewhere an hour later, either by camera or the truck's GPS. MOO

 

[PommyMommy]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1602265052656058369

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1602290178919469064

 

[Ontario Mom]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1602265052656058369

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1602290178919469064

Wow. Get the tissues if you haven't watched this already. Seriously, get the tissues.

 

[iamnotagolem]

But arrest affidavit was already released - ?? - we read it. Why seal it now? Maybe they meant the autopsy report??

And from a previous article it said the Sheriff said the DA would file charges "next week" & that was on 12/4/22.

But the court site still has nothing on him.... but I keep looking!

The Probable Cause Affidavit (PCA) was sealed, not the arrest affidavit. Two different things. PCA will have more details about the investigation.