Athena Strand photo shows deadly ride with FedEx driver who admitted killing girl during Christmas delivery

A haunting photograph shows 7-year-old Athena Strand moments earlier prosecutors accidental she was driven to her decease by the FedEx operator who abducted and killed her portion delivering her Christmas present.

The image, released by prosecutors connected Tuesday, shows the young miss lasting down Tanner Horner connected the time she was strangled successful Texas successful November 2022.

In the black-and-white photo, Athena appears visibly uneasy arsenic Horner focuses connected the roadworthy ahead.

A recently released photograph shows seven-year-old Athena Strand soon earlier prosecutors accidental she was abducted and killed by a FedEx operator delivering her Christmas present. (POOL via KDFW-TV)

Horner, 34, a erstwhile transportation operator accused of kidnapping and strangling the 7-year-old aft hitting her with his van successful 2022, admitted to her superior execution successful a Tarrant County courthouse connected Tuesday morning.

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Once the assemblage was yet seated connected Tuesday greeting for the commencement of his trial, Tarrant County Judge George Gallagher asked Horner to stand. 

"Mr. Horner, to the complaint of superior murder, you whitethorn plead blameworthy oregon not guilty. What is your plea?" the justice asked.

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"Guilty, your honor," Horner replied.

"Thank you. I volition judge your plea," the justice said.

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Authorities said Athena Strand, 7, was kidnapped and murdered by 30-year-old FedEx transportation operator Tanner Lynn Horner.  (Wise County Sheriff's Office)

Horner admitted to abducting Strand portion delivering a bundle to her father’s location successful Paradise, a municipality of less than 500 radical astir 60 miles northwest of Dallas. Her assemblage was recovered connected Dec. 2 2 days aft she was reported missing little than 10 miles distant from the property.

Horner, authorities said, was delivering a bundle of Barbie dolls intended to beryllium Strand’s Christmas present. Athena was acceptable to instrumentality to Oklahoma with her parent aft the holidays and had been staying with her father, Jacob Strand, and stepmother, Ashley Strand, successful Wise County.

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According to the apprehension warrant, Horner told investigators that helium strangled the 7-year-old aft accidentally hitting her with his van portion making a transportation astatine her father’s home. He said Strand wasn't earnestly wounded aft helium deed her portion backing up, but helium panicked and enactment her successful his van. 

Athena's stepmother, Ashley Strand, testified connected Tuesday, April 7 astir their family's location successful the tiny metropolis of Paradise, successful Wise County. She said they lived successful a agrarian country that didn't get overmuch traffic. (POOL via KDFW-TV)

On Tuesday, Ashley Strand testified sharing the contiguous aftermath erstwhile she realized that her stepdaughter had vanished.

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"I thought possibly she was conscionable hiding somewhere," her stepmom said.

The lone happening she noticed that was antithetic oregon retired of spot connected the spot was a bundle from Walmart containing Barbie dolls that she had ordered for Athena arsenic a Christmas present. It had been dropped disconnected successful beforehand of an abandoned trailer that was connected the property.

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Former FedEx transportation operator Tanner Horner was dropping disconnected a container of Barbies — a Christmas contiguous for Athena Strand— to her father's location connected Nov. 30, 2022. (Varghese and Summersett Law Group)

Athena was reported missing, and yet an Amber Alert was issued, starring to 72 hours of searching.

Wise County's erstwhile Sheriff Lane Akin besides testified, sharing that the hunt efforts for the 7-year-old was a grassroots effort with assemblage members lasting "shoulder to shoulder" with police.

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"I'll ne'er hide the greeting of Dec. 1, citizens came from each parts of Wise County to assistance america find that child. And we enactment them to enactment with our deputies, with our investigators, with our crippled wardens. It was enarthrosis to shoulder. We had what we estimated was astir 300 citizens and they brought their 4-wheelers. Some brought horses. Some brought dogs," Akin said. "I admit the information that truthful galore radical came retired to assistance america that day."

Fox News Digital's Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.