Investigators traced a package, a van camera and shifting statements after the child vanished.
FORT WORTH, Texas — A delivery made to a rural Wise County home became the center of a capital murder case after 7-year-old Athena Strand disappeared, leading investigators from a missing child search to a former driver’s guilty plea.
The trial of Tanner Lynn Horner now turns on punishment, not guilt. Horner pleaded guilty to capital murder and aggravated kidnapping in Athena’s 2022 death. Jurors seated in Tarrant County must choose between a death sentence and life in prison without parole after hearing how investigators tied the child’s disappearance to a delivery vehicle, video evidence, audio from inside the van and Horner’s later statements.
The package was an ordinary holiday delivery. Authorities have described it as a Christmas gift that included Barbie dolls, sent to Athena’s home near Paradise. The delivery arrived Nov. 30, 2022, the same day Athena was reported missing. That timing became one of the first hard points for investigators. Family members had been searching the property, while law enforcement widened the effort across wooded rural land, roads and nearby water. The case moved quickly from a household emergency to a regional search. Deputies and outside agencies began looking at who had been near the home, what vehicles had entered the driveway and what digital records could show about the delivery route.
FBI Special Agent Patrick McGuire testified that he was assigned to investigate the package delivered around the time Athena vanished. He said officers first spoke with Horner by phone while meeting with his boss at a company contracted to deliver FedEx packages. Horner said he did not remember making a delivery at the home. After investigators found him and questioned him in person, McGuire said Horner changed his account, saying he did remember the stop and claiming that he saw a green Chevy Astro van leaving the driveway. Officers were told to watch for the green van. McGuire later said investigators no longer believed that vehicle existed.
The delivery truck’s camera changed the direction of the investigation. Testimony has described footage that showed Horner placing a small girl into the back of the van. Prosecutors said the child was visually similar to Athena and that the camera also captured Horner speaking with her. The state has said the video does not show every part of the killing because the camera lens was covered. Jurors, however, have been told that the audio records the child’s final moments and Horner’s commands. Prosecutors told jurors the first thing Horner said after putting Athena in the vehicle was, “Don’t scream or I’ll hurt you.” That statement became a central part of the state’s argument that the killing was not the panic-driven accident Horner first described.
Horner’s earlier explanation was that he accidentally struck Athena with his van while backing out of the driveway, then panicked. Authorities have said he told investigators she did not appear badly injured, but that he put her into the van and killed her because he feared she would tell her father. Prosecutors now argue that the account was a cover story. During opening statements in the punishment phase, they said Horner lied about the accident, the green van and his movements, while admitting only the fact that he killed Athena. They have also argued that his effort to keep the same delivery truck and the covered camera are evidence that jurors should view closely when deciding punishment.
The search ended when Athena’s body was found miles from her home, near Boyd, two days after she vanished. Former Wise County Sheriff Lane Akin testified that he saw the recovery scene before returning to notify the family. He said he had hoped, until the last possible moment, that Athena would be found alive. “It was heartbreaking,” Akin said. “They were just devastated.” The discovery transformed the case from a missing child search into a murder investigation. It also gave investigators another location to compare with route data, video and Horner’s statements. The state has told jurors that the body was found in water at BoBo Crossing in Wise County.
The courtroom record has described a chain of evidence that moved from the driveway to the van and then to the recovery site. Prosecutors said investigators used the package delivery, truck footage, interviews and search findings to build the case. Jurors have seen or heard evidence related to the van, the river area and Horner’s contacts with investigators. The state has described audio from inside the truck as among the most difficult evidence. Prosecutor Patrick Berry told jurors they would hear “what a 250-pound man can do to a 67-pound child.” He also said Athena fought “with the strength of 100 men,” a phrase that has framed much of the punishment evidence.
The defense has focused less on disputing the evidence chain and more on what sentence should follow. Horner pleaded guilty as the trial began, so jurors no longer need to decide whether he committed capital murder and aggravated kidnapping. Defense lawyers have asked for life without parole, pointing to Horner’s autism, alleged neurological problems, mental health history and troubled upbringing. They have presented or sought testimony from experts who evaluated him and said he had significant developmental issues. Prosecutors have pressed those experts on their methods and conclusions. The state’s position is that Horner’s background does not outweigh the details of Athena’s abduction, killing and disposal.
The venue also shapes how the evidence is being heard. The case arose in Wise County, where Athena lived and where her body was found, but the trial was moved to Tarrant County after defense lawyers argued that local publicity could affect the jury pool. Proceedings are being held at the Tim Curry Criminal Justice Center in Fort Worth before State District Judge George Gallagher. Horner originally pleaded not guilty after his 2023 indictment on capital murder of a person under 10 and aggravated kidnapping. His guilty plea on April 7, 2026, came as trial testimony was about to begin and immediately narrowed the question to punishment.
Family witnesses have given jurors the human frame around the records and video. Athena’s teacher, Lindsey Thompson, described a child who loved drawing, writing and coloring. Her father, Jacob Strand, testified that he searched for his daughter after she vanished and still lives on the property. Her stepmother, Elizabeth “Ashley” Strand, testified that the family first thought Athena might be hiding and that the child’s death left lasting fear in the home. Those accounts have been presented alongside the evidence trail, giving jurors a picture of both the investigation and the loss behind it.
The case also drew public attention beyond the courtroom because it involved a child, a holiday delivery and a stranger who came to the family’s home for work. Texas lawmakers later created the Athena Alert, a missing child alert meant to allow faster public notice when a child disappears and officials believe the child may be in danger, even if all usual Amber Alert criteria have not yet been met. The law is part of the broader aftermath of the case, but Horner’s jury is deciding only his sentence under Texas capital punishment rules.
As of April 28, 2026, Horner is convicted by his own plea and remains in the punishment phase. Jurors are expected to continue hearing evidence before deciding whether he is sentenced to death or life without parole. The next court milestone is the close of punishment testimony and final arguments.
Author note: Last updated April 28, 2026.