No one in Wise County will ever forget what happened exactly one year ago. It was the day Athena Strand disappeared from her home in the city of Paradise.
An Amber Alert issued for the 7-year-old ended in the worst way possible. Tanner Horner now faces a capital murder charge in connection with Athena's death.
“It’s been a sullen day,” said Wise County Sheriff Lane Akin.
Akin said he first learned about the missing child last Nov. 30 by text.
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“I just had a feeling that this is not right,” he said.
Athena had disappeared from outside her father's home. An Amber Alert was issued the next day because it didn't initially meet the criteria.
Hundreds searched for the 7-year-old who loved fashion and the color pink.
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“It really hurt this community, but I think it brought the community closer together,” said Akin.
About 10 miles from where she disappeared, a roadside memorial now stands near the spot where Athena was found two days after her disappearance.
Akin remembers delivering the news.
“The family was just torn apart. The emotion was beyond what I imagined it would be and I just really felt inadequate because I couldn't tell them what they wanted to hear,” said Akin.
Horner, a FedEx driver at the time, was charged with capital murder. Investigators said he kidnapped Athena during a delivery at her home and then dumped her body in the Trinity River.
Inside the FedEx package were Barbie dolls for Athena.
“I was robbed of watching her grow up by a man that everyone was supposed to be able to trust to do one simple task -- deliver a Christmas present,” Athena’s mother Maitlyn Gandy said earlier this year.
Gandy has filed a civil lawsuit against Horner, who has pleaded not guilty to his criminal charges, which include capital murder, aggravated kidnapping, and sexual assault of a child.
Earlier this year, the case was temporarily paused after courts decided Horner needed to replace his court-appointed attorney with lawyers from the Regional Public Defenders Office, which handles death penalty cases.
“I think all of us in law enforcement want to see the punishment is fitting of the crime and I would say the vast majority of the people in this office are hoping that it ends in the death penalty,” said Akin.
In an email. Wise County District Attorney James Stainton said, "We are seeking justice for Athena. My trial team and I are ready. The case is ongoing, with discovery and motions being heard by the court. Please say a prayer for Athena and her family."
Gandy asked for privacy on the day that marked one year since her little girl's disappearance. She spent the day posting favorite memories of her little girl who walked outside one day and never came home.
In May, Texas lawmakers passed Athena's Law. It allows local police to quickly issue a regional alert about a missing child without having to wait for investigators to confirm that an abduction has taken place. The alert is called an Athena Alert.
