A mother’s grief remains raw, a constant ache nearly three years after her seven-year-old daughter vanished and was tragically found dead. The man accused of taking Athena Strand, a FedEx driver, is now facing the consequences of his actions as the punishment phase of his trial begins.
Athena disappeared from her home in Paradise, Texas, in December 2022, after the delivery of a Christmas present. Two days later, her body was discovered, and Tanner Horner, then 31, was arrested. He initially claimed he accidentally struck her with his van and, in a desperate attempt to silence her, strangled her.
Horner has since pleaded guilty to capital murder and aggravated kidnapping, bypassing a full trial. However, newly released footage from inside his delivery van has reopened wounds and intensified the pain for Athena’s family.
The footage shows Athena, remarkably unharmed, looking over Horner’s shoulder as he drove away. This image, circulating online, has prompted a heartbreaking plea from Athena’s mother, Maitlyn Presley Gandy. She’s desperately asking people to stop tagging her in posts containing the image, explaining it relentlessly replays in her mind.
“Please, I am begging, if you have any respect for me at all, please stop tagging me in posts with Tanner Horner in them and especially the van still image of him taking my daughter,” she wrote. “It lives in my head without the frequency I’ve been tagged in it.”
Prosecutors have vehemently disputed Horner’s account of an accidental collision. Wise County District Attorney James Stainton stated in court that Horner’s claim is an “absolute lie.” The chilling reality, according to the prosecution, is far more sinister.
The court heard Horner immediately threatened Athena upon picking her up, whispering, “Don’t scream or I’ll hurt you,” not once, but twice. This detail paints a horrifying picture of premeditation and control.
The evidence presented is deeply disturbing. While the van’s camera was deliberately covered during the act of violence, the audio continued to record. The prosecutor warned jurors to prepare themselves for the harrowing sounds of a brutal struggle.
“You are going to hear what a 250-pound man can do to a 67-pound child,” Stainton stated, his voice heavy with the weight of the case. “And when I say it’s horrible, I mean it. I’ve been doing this [for] 25 years, and I promise you, buckle up.”
Athena fought for her life, and forensic evidence confirms it. Horner’s DNA was found under her fingernails, a testament to her desperate resistance. Further evidence revealed his DNA in places where it should never have been on a young child.
Due to concerns about impartiality, the trial was moved from the small, rural community of Wise County to Fort Worth, ensuring Horner faces a fair, though undeniably difficult, reckoning for his actions.
