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United StatesArriving to deliver Barbies to a little girl, he kidnaps and kills her
Athena, 7, was found dead last Friday about 15 miles from her home in Paradise, Texas. A FedEx delivery man confessed.
The little girl was killed within an hour of her abduction on November 30.
DR
Standing in the Wise County Courthouse in Texas, Maitlyn Gandy bravely holds back tears as she reads a statement to the media. Last Friday, her daughter Athena was found dead about 15 kilometers from her home. The 7-year-old boy was kidnapped and then killed on November 30. Tanner Horner, a 31-year-old man who works at FedEx, confessed to the facts, he said CBS News. The individual had just delivered a box containing several Barbie dolls to Athena’s house, which Maitlyn intended to give to her daughter for Christmas.
According to the Wise County Sheriff, little Athena was abducted from her driveway. The authorities were able to trace the delivery man thanks in particular to his fingerprints. After giving two false indications to the investigators, the 30-year-old ended up indicating the place where he had hidden the body of Athena, whom he killed less than an hour after her abduction. The man did not provide details of her crime and at the moment it is not known whether he had a motive. According to authorities, the alleged killer knew neither his victim nor his family.
“This gift, which I ordered with all my love and innocence, she will never receive,” said Athena’s mother. “Everyone had to trust this man, who had only one job to do: deliver a Christmas present and walk away. It deprived me of the opportunity to see my daughter grow up,” Maitlyn added. Little Athena’s death shook Paradise, a small village where children played in their garden. “My children were having fun outside when she was kidnapped. It changes everything. We never expect something like this,” says Rachael, a resident.
The alleged killer will be tried for murder and aggravated kidnapping. If found guilty, he faces the death penalty.
(joc)
