Athena Strand’s mother has posted a heartbreaking video showing the murdered 7-year-old’s sister crying for her ‘sissy’.
According to Maitlyn Gandy, Strand’s younger sister, Rye, would regularly cry when her older sibling was away from the family Athena was staying with her father and stepmother in Paradise, Texas, when she was kidnapped and murdered by FedEx driver Tanner Lynn Horner, 31.
Athena was due to return to her mother and sister in Comanche, Oklahoma, for Christmas.
On Monday, vigils were held for Athena in Paradise, Texas, and in her hometown of Comanche, Oklahoma, where attendees wore her favorite color pink.
The video was recorded on November 27, little Athena was first reported missing on November 30 and she was found dead on December 2. Gandy says that the video shows Rye ‘begging for her sissy.’
She says: ‘I kept telling her “It’s okay, we will see sissy soon.” Not knowing how twisted our lives would become. I took it because she does this anytime she thinks sissy is going somewhere without her.’
Eventually, Gandy says, Rye cried herself to sleep. The grieving mother continued: ‘This monster has now extended those feelings for my youngest daughter indefinitely.’
In another post, Gandy wrote: ‘Daddy and mommy were scared of how beautiful she has always been and we feel like we failed you. No one deserves what happened to you, but especially you. I love you and love doesn’t even cover it. Mommy is broken without you.’
She also described her angel as ‘innocent, beautiful, kid, intelligent and just the brightest, happiest soul you could ever meet.’
Gandy continued: ‘I don’t want her to be the girl known as the one murdered and discarded by a monster. I want everyone to know, every single person in this world, that this is my baby and my baby was taken from me.
’31-year-old Tanner Lynn Horner is facing charges of aggravated murder and kidnapping in the case. He is being held on a bond of $1.5 million at Wise County Jail.
Wise County Sheriff Lane Akin has described the murder as a ‘crime of opportunity.’
