Athena Strand: Wise County community comes together to mourn 7-year-old girl
WISE COUNTY (CBSDFW.COM) — A rural Wise County community is mourning the loss of 7-year-old Athena Strand.
On Wednesday evening, she was first reported missing by her stepmother. The Wise County Sheriff's office said Athena left the house by herself.
After two days of searching, her body was found last night, several miles away from her house.
The Wise County Sheriff's Office arrested 31-year-old Tanner Horner, a contracted driver for FedEx. They say he confessed to abducting Athena.
The First Baptist Church of Cottondale was a gathering place for volunteers and Athena's family while the search for her was going on.
Pastor Charles Pugh comforted them as each hour felt like days for them.
"Your heart goes out to the parents. It's just so random it seems like, that it happened that way," said Pugh.
When the news broke Athena was found dead, Pugh was right there with her parents. "He's just kind of numb I think," said Pugh as he described her dad's reaction. "Frustration, but he had a good spirit."
Athena's spirit lives on in this tight-knit community.
During Friday night's news conference, Sheriff Lane Akin was visibly emotional.
"It hurts our hearts to know that child died," he said, "This community does not like losing our children and we can see it because of all the people who came out and helped us throughout this ordeal.
On Saturday afternoon, nobody was at Horner's Fort Worth home. None of his neighbors said they knew about him.
Back at the church, donations are pouring in. Some of the items include a tiara, a stuffed animal and flowers.
"It seems in our community everybody just loves one another," added Pugh.
He had this advice to the family as they dealt with this unimaginable loss.
"Just take one step at a time, don't do anything dramatic, just get through the next day," said Pugh.
Horner is being held at the Wise County jail on charges of capital murder and aggravated kidnapping. His bond is set at $1.5 million.
A candlelight memorial service is planned for Tuesday night at 6p.m. at the First Baptist Church of Cottondale. It's located at 145 CR 3355 in Paradise, Texas.
If you are interested in donating to Athena's family, you can find their GoFundMe online.
