Murdered Athena Strand's funeral held as mom Maitlyn Gandy says 'not anywhere close' to letting her go
WISE COUNTY, TEXAS: The family and friends of Athena Strand said goodbye to her at a private funeral on Friday, December 9. The funeral took place a day after the release of the arrest warrant for the alleged killer. Former FedEx contract driver Tanner Horner told investigators he was dropping off a package at Athena's home when he accidentally hit the 7-year-old child in Wise County. After hitting her, he took her into his car and murdered her when she could still speak and even told Tanner her name was Athena.
Tanner Horner, 31, was eventually charged by police with capital murder and aggravated kidnapping. Horner told investigators he was delivering a box to Strand when he accidentally ran her over with his truck, according to the arrest statement. Horner told authorities the girl was not seriously injured and was talking to him when he "panicked" and threw her into his truck, later killing her.
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FedEx driver Tanner Lynn Horner who murdered Athena Strand was delivering her 'Christmas present'
Athena Strand was laid to rest in a private funeral service on Friday. Earlier her mother told reporters Athena will be cremated. "She will come home in an urn," Maitlyn Gandy told reporters while in tears. "Because I'm not anywhere close to letting my baby go," WFAA reported. Horner as per the arrest warrant obtained by Forth Worth Star-Telegram strangled her. He confessed that he worried Athena would tell her dad about being hit, which panicked him, the warrant added further.
Horner as per the warrant stated he "attempted to break Athena’s neck to kill her but it did not work so he strangled her with his bare hands in the back of the FedEx van. He told investigators he strangled her “because she was going to tell her father about being hit by the FedEx truck the defendant was operating,” according to the affidavit.
"I will never see her bright blue eyes or her smile again," teary-eyed Gandy said on Thursday when she revealed the package Horner was dropping off was a Christmas gift of Barbie dolls for her daughter Horner was delivering. "I will never be able to hear her say, 'I love you, Mommy. She continued, "I was robbed of watching her grow up by a man that everyone was supposed to be able to trust to do just one simple task—deliver a Christmas present and leave," Gandy said.
The family's legal team is conducting its own investigation and is pursuing possible civil litigation. "We're investigating not just what FedEx's responsibility might have been, but anyone else who was involved in the decisions that were made that led to this tragic loss," Gandy's attorney, Benson Varghese, said.