Athena Strand: Mom Maitlyn Gandy calls slain girl, 7, ‘Viking princess’, shares pics of her pink open casket
WISE COUNTY, TEXAS: Heartbroken mother of Athena Strand shares pictures of her slain daughter's open casket on Facebook. Athena Strand was abducted from her home and killed by a FedEx driver Tanner Horner on November 30. The open casket displayed a memorable pink color with a furry coating inside along with a picture of little Athena.
Maitlyn Presley Gandy has previously mentioned multiple times on Facebook that her seven-year-old daughter's favorite color was pink. On December 9, Athena was cremated, said the child's mother. She was laid to rest in a private funeral so that her family and friends could bid her a final goodbye following her sudden demise. The mother even thanked the company responsible for making her daughter's memorable casket in the post.
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"Now that this part is over, Jacob and I, as well as Athena’s entire family would like to thank Trey with SoulShine Industries. You helped us capture our Viking Princess in a way we didn’t think possible," she wrote on Facebook. "Trey and his wife are truly friends for life. You guys are very talented, kind, amazing humans Athena looked very comfortable in her bed." Gandy captioned the post along with a carousel of photos of the casket.
"*For those asking, SoulShine industries custom made her eternal bed for her funeral services. He made it in such a way I will be able to take it home and use it as a memory chest for Athena. Athena has been cremated and will also be coming home where she belongs with me. We had a funeral because Athena was suddenly taken and no one in her family wanted to miss the opportunity to say goodbye,*" concluded the mother.
Athena's alleged killer, Tanner Horner was arrested and is currently being held at Wise County Jail on charges of capital murder and aggravated kidnapping. During the inquiry, Horner, a contract FedEx driver said he accidentally hit Athena with his truck while delivering the packages. He confessed that he worried Athena would tell her dad about being hit, which panicked him. But the seven-year-old was not injured by the impact of the truck. He told investigators he panicked and put her in the back of her truck. Horner then allegedly tried to break the seven-year-old's neck but it did not work so he strangled her with his bare hands in the back of his FedEx van. His bond is set for $1.5 million.