FedEx Driver Brings Her Christmas Presents, Only to Drag Her Into His Truck

FedEx Driver Brings Her Christmas Presents, Only to Drag Her Into His Truck

Content warning: this video is about a sensitive topic involving loss of life. We have removed any graphic content to comply with YouTube’s guidelines. We aim to provide informative, factual journalism on a tragic event in the public interest that does not dismiss its seriousness. All clips are used under the doctrine of fair use for news reporting and analysis.

Athena Presley Monroe Strand was born on May 23, 2015, in Duncan, Oklahoma, to parents Jacob Strand and Maitlend Gandandy. Shortly after her birth, her parents divorced, but both Jacob and Maitlin remained devoted to blessing Athena with all of the love a child could hope for. Jacob later moved to Texas, while Athena continued living with her mother. Despite the distance and the challenges that came with it, Jacob always made the effort to remain present in his daughter’s life. Maitlyn too ensured that Athena spent time with her father. Jacob and Maitlyn never wavered in the love that they had for Athena.

Athena enjoyed jewelry, makeup, and applying it on her mother and sister, but that wasn’t her only side. She liked to imagine herself as something different, like a Viking princess, just like her Viking daddy as she called him, who had tattoos everywhere and hair as long as Rapunzel’s. Even at just seven years old, her love for her two little sisters was absolute. In one touching Facebook post, her mother wrote, “Athena loves her two baby sisters with all she has. She is the best big sissy.”

As a first grader at Paradise Elementary School, she loved being part of her school community and always brought joy to those around her. Outside of the classroom, she had an adventurous spirit with a special love for swimming, leaping off diving boards, and any activity that let her boundless energy shine. Her mother described her in words that perfectly captured her spirit: Athena is innocent, beautiful, kind, intelligent, and just the brightest, happiest soul you could ever meet.

Others who knew her shared the same sentiment. Her first grade teacher, Lindsay Thompson, recalled how Athena’s cheerful nature made her a joy in the classroom, while other people said of her that Athena had an everpresent smile which brought joy and happiness to everyone she encountered. She made friends as easily as a butterfly can flap its wings and would light up any room she walked into. But sometimes the world can be cruel to those with the kindest hearts. Athena was one of those souls. She loved everyone deeply, and it was that very kindness that a heartless person would later take advantage of.

After celebrating her seventh birthday in mid-2022, Athena moved to her father’s home in Texas. The plan was for her to stay there until the New Year’s holidays, after which she would return to her mother. During her time there, she attended a local school and lived with her dad and stepmother Elizabeth in a quiet rural home far removed from the hustle and bustle of the city. Wednesday, November 30, 2022, was expected to be just another ordinary day for Athena.

That afternoon around 4:30 p.m., she stepped off her school bus and was supposed to spend the rest of her day happily running around her father’s property on the 200 block of County Road 3573 in Paradise. Sadly, this day would not be ordinary at all. While her father was away on a deer hunting trip, Athena had a small argument with her stepmother. Around 5:40 p.m., Elizabeth called Athena to the dinner table about 20 minutes later, but there was no response.

Alarmed, Elizabeth began searching the house. Athena wasn’t in her room, nor was she anywhere else inside. She wasn’t playing outside either. Elizabeth then called some of Athena’s relatives as she often spent time with them, but every call only confirmed her greatest fear: Athena was missing. She called her husband, who immediately abandoned his deer hunt and headed home, urging her to contact 911.

Around 6:40 p.m., after trying everything she could to locate Athena, Elizabeth called the Wise County Sheriff’s Office to report her missing. She explained to investigators that earlier there had been a small argument and later she could not find Athena in her room. Authorities noted that Elizabeth waited roughly an hour before calling, as she had first been searching the house and the surrounding area herself. By the time Jacob arrived back at his home, law enforcement was already on the property conducting an urgent search for Athena.

The effort involved the Wise County Sheriff’s Office, Texas Department of Public Safety, the Texas Rangers, Fort Worth and Bridgeport Police Departments, local fire departments, Wise County EMS, Search Rescue 1, and several other agencies. All hands were on deck to find Athena. Nearly 200 volunteers from the community also joined in the search. Over the next 24 hours, authorities scoured a five-mile radius around the 200 block of County Road 3573 in Paradise.

Despite their extensive efforts, they found no sign of Athena or any indication of where she might have gone. According to Wise County Sheriff Lane Aiken, right now they were exploring all possibilities, and at that point they thought the child may have wandered off and gotten lost. But Kelby, one of Athena’s aunts, insisted that it was unlikely Athena would have wandered off on her own. At the time, however, she could not provide any specific evidence to support her concern, sharing that they definitely didn’t believe Athena ran away and just didn’t know if she had been abducted or not.

Although the sheriff initially had no grounds to issue an Amber Alert, given the gravity of the situation the alert was issued regardless. Federal authorities made slight adjustments to the criteria for Amber Alerts and later introduced the Athena alert. Under this system, an Amber Alert can be issued for a missing child even if the authorities have not yet confirmed an abduction. The alert can be broadcast across a 100-mile radius around the disappearance including adjacent counties, ensuring that more people are informed and can assist in the search.

The Texas Department of Public Safety emphasizes that this is not a new type of alert and that all messages are still officially considered Amber Alerts, retaining the same protocols and urgency. For context, an Amber Alert is an emergency notification system designed to inform the public about a missing or abducted child quickly. It broadcasts certain important details such as the child’s description, the suspected abductor, and any relevant vehicle information using media outlets, highway signs, and mobile alerts to increase the chances of safely and promptly recovering the child.

Athena’s mother and one of her other aunts, Kelby, both expressed that they wanted more details about what had happened in the moments leading up to Athena’s disappearance, but at that time there wasn’t a single clue. Her aunt said that she just wanted her home and safe where she could physically see her and she could be with her. Federal authorities left no stone unturned in their search, yet no matter how far they looked, Athena was nowhere to be found. For investigators, it seemed almost impossible: how could a seven-year-old girl vanish into the night?

The area was thick with woods and homes were scarce, but even within a six-mile radius there was simply no sign of Athena. Naturally, this led investigators to widen their scope. If Athena hadn’t wandered off, then perhaps someone had taken her. They began gathering information about all recent activities and visitors that day, and sure enough, they did find a lead. The same day Athena vanished, a FedEx delivery had been scheduled for a delivery at her father’s home.

Investigators quickly reached out to FedEx to determine who had made this delivery and which van had been used. The van was quickly located. Investigators discovered it had been equipped with dash cameras. FedEx fully cooperated and released the footage to federal authorities. However, what they saw was deeply disturbing: seemingly at random, 31-year-old Tanner Lynn Her forced little Athena into his delivery van. Law enforcement immediately tracked down Tanner and brought him in for an interrogation.

Finally, after two long days of tireless efforts, the heartbreaking discovery came on Friday, December 2, 2022, at around 8:00 p.m. Athena’s body was found nine miles away from her home southeast of Boyd. The news devastated her family and friends, who could hardly process the unimaginable loss. The bright, innocent little girl who had brought light into so many lives was gone, and the circumstances leading to such a tragic outcome were nothing short of heartbreaking and infuriating.

Later that night at approximately 10:15 p.m., Sheriff Aken held a press conference. With a heavy heart, he offered his condolences to Athena’s family and expressed gratitude to the community whose support had been instrumental to law enforcement throughout the search. In the conference, Sheriff Aken shared that it was a monumental task, and because of the cooperation and working together, they were able to get answers. Some of the answers were not the ones that they would have hoped to get, and they wanted to send condolences out to the family of Athena Strand because this community does not like losing children.

Earlier that day a tip was received. They knew early on in the investigation that there had been a FedEx driver who made a delivery in front of the house about the same time that little seven-year-old Athena went missing. Through continued good work by the investigative team, they were able to determine that the driver abducted Athena. This driver was a contract driver named Tanner Lynn Her, and he was in jail being charged with capital murder and aggravated kidnapping with a bond set at 1.5 million dollars.

During the question and answer session with reporters, authorities clarified additional details. When asked where her body was found, they explained it was on another county road about six miles further from the initial search area, southeast of Boyd. They confirmed that the driver was indeed delivering a package to that home, meaning she was abducted right from the front of her home, as the driveway was about 200 yards or so and close to the gate. Regarding when she passed away, investigators noted that digital evidence and interviews caused them to believe it occurred within an hour of leaving home.

When asked about digital evidence, officials pointed to surveillance footage, ring camera videos, and close cooperation with FedEx partners that helped locate the suspect. They confirmed they had obtained a confession from the suspect, though they could not immediately disclose the specific motive. They also confirmed that Tanner did not know Athena or her family beforehand. A retired ranger with 50 years in law enforcement described it as one of the toughest investigations of his career because it involved a child, which breaks your heart but also gives you purpose to pull resources together.

Sheriff Aken explained that around the time Athena went missing, Tanner had been delivering a package to the family’s home. Investigators believe she was likely abducted from her driveway just about 200 yards away from the house. It was there, in that short distance between home and safety, that this heinous predator snatched sweet Athena and later robbed her of her life. Sheriff Aken also mentioned that Tanner initially tried to mislead investigators by giving them at least two false locations, one of which was along County Road 4599, an area that police had taped off on Friday afternoon, only later directing detectives to where Athena’s body was actually found.

Authorities stated there was no information to suggest a possible motive. Sheriff Aken also confirmed that Tanner did not know Athena or her family, which made this crime even more senseless and horrifying. Tanner Lynn Her was arrested in connection with the kidnapping and murder of seven-year-old Athena Strand. The initial charges were capital murder of a person under ten years old and aggravated kidnapping. At the time of his arrest in December of 2022, Tanner was booked into the Wise County Jail with bail set at 1.5 million dollars.

On Saturday morning, December 3, 2022, Athena’s mother Maitlin said in a Facebook post that she wanted her daughter to be remembered for who she was in life rather than as just a victim, sharing that she did not want her to be the girl known as the one murdered and discarded by a monster, but rather wanted everyone in the world to know that this was her baby, to know her face and her voice, and just how wonderful of a person she was.

A few days later, an affidavit was released in connection with Tanner’s arrest, carrying even more troubling details about little Athena’s disappearance and murder. According to this affidavit, Tanner initially confessed that he had accidentally struck Athena with his FedEx truck after delivering a package to her home. However, the official autopsy report released nearly three months later did not support this claim. Instead, the report indicated evidence of trauma to Athena’s head along with signs of asphyxia or strangulation.

Tanner’s initial claim that he had accidentally hit Athena with his truck turned out to be nothing more than a lie, likely stated to manipulate the story and avoid immediate arrest or consequences, but investigators did not buy it. The affidavit stated that Tanner claimed that she allegedly gave her name to him while he brought her inside the truck. Once inside, Tanner confessed that he panicked at the thought that Athena would tell her father about being hit, and because of this, his first instinct was to try to snap her neck. When that did not work, he resorted to strangling her with his bare hands, telling investigators repeatedly that he killed her because she would have told her father about the truck incident.

On Friday, December 9, 2022, FedEx issued a statement saying that they shared in the collective grief surrounding this heartbreaking tragedy, that their thoughts remained with the family of Athena Strand, and that they continued to cooperate fully with the investigating authorities. It is sickening how Tanner Lynn Her went about his daily life for two whole days as if he hadn’t committed an unspeakable crime. On the other hand, a FedEx delivery that was intended for Athena turned out to be the very one that took her life.

On November 30, a FedEx delivery man drove onto Athena’s father’s property to deliver a package of what was supposed to be a Christmas present for their daughter. The package contained items like Barbies. Athena was robbed of the opportunity to grow up to be anything she wanted to be, and this present ordered out of innocence and love is one she will never receive. Athena’s favorite holiday was Christmas, as it is for many children everywhere, and the joy she felt on Christmas is something her family will never feel with her again.

Even more disturbing is that this wasn’t the first time Tanner’s name had been linked to a serious allegation. After his arrest, a woman named Shea Marie came forward in a Facebook post, later deleted, accusing Tanner of sexual assault in 2019 when she was just 16 and he was 23. In the post, she wrote that those dates marked years since he violated her and treated her like he was entitled to her body when she was a child in a vulnerable state. Tanner was also facing three additional charges of sexual assault of a child separate from Athena Strand’s case, dating back to 2013, involving either one individual across multiple incidents or three separate victims.

As far as Tanner’s court proceedings are concerned, things have not been looking good for him. Sheriff Aken made it clear during the press conference that the community does not take losing children lightly, meaning Tanner faced the possibility of life in prison without parole. Following his arrest, Tanner remained in the Wise County Jail while awaiting trial. Legal proceedings were complex, involving multiple pre-trial motions, psychological evaluations, and the coordination of evidence from numerous law enforcement agencies.

On February 16, 2023, a Wise County grand jury formally indicted Tanner Her on charges of capital murder and aggravated kidnapping in connection with Athena’s death. A month later, Tanner entered a plea of not guilty. Mother Maitlin was present in court that day, forced for the first time to come face to face with the man accused of taking her daughter’s life. Attorney Benson Varghese, who represented Athena’s mother during the plea hearing, said it was probably one of the most difficult moments of her life, but it was of grave importance for her to be there.

Later in July of 2023, further complications arose when a Wise County District judge ordered the removal of Tanner’s court-appointed attorneys and reassigned the defense to lawyers from the regional public defender’s office because that office already held a contract with Wise County to represent defendants in capital murder cases. In August 2024, Tanner and his legal team requested a change of venue citing extensive pre-trial publicity that could prevent him from receiving a fair trial in Wise County. Judge Brock Smith of the 271st District Court considered nearby counties but eventually found that Tarrant County was an adjoining county not subject to the same conditions. District Attorney James Stainton called the change of venue unfortunate but reassured the public that it would not affect the prosecution.

The case progressed through multiple reschedulings, requiring extensive resources and additional preparation time for both parties. Furthermore, the court approved a request from the prosecution to transfer DNA evidence from a Houston lab, where testing had been delayed due to a backlog, to Tarrant County for faster processing, overseen personally by District Attorney James Stainton. As with all unresolved cases, Tanner Lynn Her is considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

A candlelight vigil was held on Tuesday, December 6, 2022, at the First Baptist Church in Cottondale, Paradise. Thousands of attendees gathered to remember little Athena, many wearing pink, which was her favorite color. The vigil was a soulful and somber ceremony featuring emotional speeches, prayers, and the lighting of more than 900 candles in her honor. Athena’s mother addressed the crowd, expressing gratitude for the community’s support and urging everyone to keep her daughter’s face and story alive so people would know Athena for who she truly was.

Lindsay Thompson, Athena’s first grade teacher, was also present and shared how she would never forget Athena’s smile, laugh, voice, and unique sense of style, noting that her classroom of six and seven-year-olds were hurting from the loss of their friend and classmate. Maitlin also expressed deep gratitude to volunteers and first responders, leaving the crowd with a heartfelt request to remember Athena Strand no matter how many years pass. Thanks to the Athena alert passing in May of 2023, Athena’s legacy will also ensure that future missing children will be saved with new protocols in place to locate them quickly and safely.

Athena was finally laid to rest on Friday, December 9, 2022, in Bridgeport, Texas, where family and close friends gathered to say their final goodbyes. She rested in a custom-made casket donated by Trey Ganem of Soulshine Industries, who has crafted caskets for children suffering similar tragedies. The casket was pink, adorned with a princess crown on top and decorated with Viking symbols representing the bond between father and daughter as well as mother and daughter. After the service, she was cremated, and her casket serves as a memory box for her mother containing her favorite Disney songs, keeping her spirit close to those who loved her. Athena’s story continues to inspire change, awareness, and stronger child protection measures to keep children safe.