‘FedEx became the deliverer of death’: Mom of Athena Strand, 7, sues driver and company over kidnapping and murder
If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.
WISE COUNTY, TEXAS: Maitlyn Gandy, mother of seven-year-old Athena Strand who was allegedly kidnapped and strangled to death by Tanner Lynn Horner, the then FedEx contract driver has entered a lawsuit against the murderer and the package delivery company. On February 17, the Oklahoma woman filed court papers to intervene by joining the Texas lawsuit that was filed in December 2022 by Strand's father Jacob Strand.
Gandy filed a wrongful death and negligence lawsuit against Horner under Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 60. The filing allows intervening by "any party" by "filing a pleading, subject to being stricken out by the court for sufficient cause on the motion of any party," reported Law & Crime.
RELATED ARTICLES
'Mommy is broken without you': Athena Strand's mom pays heartbreaking tribute to slain little girl
What does the wrongful death lawsuit against Horner say?
Jacob Strand, the plaintiff whose plea in intervention stated the accusations against the 31-year-old then-package delivery driver with FedEx on contract through Big Topspin. The court filing recounted the murder and said, "On Wednesday, November 30, 2022, parents across the world hugged their kids a little tighter as news spread that a 7-year-old little girl was missing in Wise County, Texas. In the following days, many joined the search – civilians and law enforcement – hoping that the young girl would be found alive. That hope was extinguished on Friday, December 2, 2022, when Athena Presley Monroe Strand’s body was found. Athena’s life had been taken, her very breath extinguished, at the hands of Tanner Lynn Horner, a FedEx delivery driver."
“Shock and sorrow reverberated at the news. Tears were shed, hearts were broken, trust was lost. In the days after November 30, 2022, the world started to learn who Athena was – a child, a daughter, a free spirit, someone who brought joy to those around her, a lover of animals, a friend to her classmates, someone who could disarm you with her smile, and a big fan of Disney musicals. America wept because, in Athena, they saw the best of themselves, their children, and their families,” said the court filing obtained by Law & Crime.
'FedEx became the deliverer of death'
In the court, it was stated that the Athena Strand case was widely heard and read by parents across the country who "wondered how FedEx became the deliverer of death." Defendants also face allegations in the case as plaintiffs want them to be held liable for their failed background checks and hiring practices that led to the contract driver strangling the seven-year-old girl to death. Horner delivered a package that contained Barbie dolls for Strand as her Christmas present.
Will FedEx driver Tanner Horner get the death penalty?
The prosecution is reportedly set to seek the death penalty for Horner who was indicted on kidnapping and capital murder charges on February 16. The accused murderer is also accused of three counts of child sexual abuse based on allegations from incidents in 2013, unrelated to the case of Athena Strand.
The 31-year-old driver claimed that he accidentally reversed the FedEx delivery truck he drove into Athena and "panicked" at the time. According to authorities, the child was playing in her Texas home's front yard. The court documents stated that when Horner "attempted to break Athena’s neck it did not work so he strangled with his bare hands in the back of the Fed Ex van" and as per the case filed, the murder was called "every parent’s worst nightmare."
Detailing the murder, the court filing stated that Horner strangled, smothered, or, asphyxiated the child to brutally murder her "and continued his trail of terror in the FedEx vehicle by attempting to 'dispose' of Athena’s body by placing her in a body of water on the side of the road." More than $1,000,00 in damages is sought by the plaintiffs.
Following the announcement of the lawsuit filed against the package delivery company, a FedEx spokesperson stated, "Our thoughts remain with the family of Athena Strand in the wake of this tragedy. We are aware of the complaint filed against FedEx Ground," according to Law & Crime.