New testimony revealed on Wednesday how a detailed description of a green van helped investigators obtain video from inside Tanner Horner’s FedEx truck, leading to his arrest in the November 30, 2022, abduction and killing of 7-year-old Athena Strand in Paradise, Texas.
Horner has pleaded guilty and is now in the sentencing phase of his case at the Tarrant County courthouse. On the second day of testimony, Texas Rangers Sgt. Job Espinoza described how the investigation zeroed in on the delivery of a box of Barbie dolls to the Strand home shortly before the girl disappeared.
FBI agents had learned FedEx delivered the package through a Dallas-based contractor called Big Topspin. When interviewed, Horner — the driver — provided a specific account of an older green Astro Van missing a lower panel on the driver’s door, leaving the property around the time of the delivery.
Espinoza, the lead investigator for the search, said the focus shifted on December 1, 2022, to identifying who made the delivery and what they might have seen.
“My main objective was: who delivered it? What did they see?” he said, per CBS News Texas. “More than anything, to me initially, it’s just another set of eyes.”
As investigators moved forward, Horner’s detailed statements about the van stood out, Espinoza said.
“As we moved forward in the investigation, there were some key things that stuck out to me,” he said. “The driver, Tanner Horner, had made very detailed statements about a green van. So obviously, we have to act on any information we get.”
A statewide alert was issued for the van. Investigators also analyzed cell tower data and asked whether the FedEx truck had any surveillance cameras.
“I’m like ‘Hey, do they have video, maybe we can see a license plate on the video,’” Espinoza recalled asking.
The company that manages camera systems for FedEx trucks, Velociter in North Carolina, provided two short video clips from Horner’s vehicle. The clips were turned over as authorities moved to detain Horner on December 2, 2022.
Espinoza viewed the footage and saw Strand alive and being placed inside the van by Horner.
“I saw that Athena was alive, and that she was placed in that FedEx van by Mr. Horner,” he said, “and based on what I was seeing, it was exigent, and I felt that there was a possibility that Athena was still alive, and we needed to bring her home.”
The video was from November 30, 2022. Horner was detained the next day in a different truck, but the Wise County Sheriff’s Office secured the original vehicle.
Searches of Horner’s family home in Lake Worth and the truck used in the abduction turned up no sign of Strand. Espinoza said he still hoped she might be found alive.
Body camera video from Espinoza’s brother, Game Warden Josh Espinoza, showed Horner’s detainment and confirmed the girl was not in the truck. Horner cooperated with the search and provided an address near BoBo’s Crossing, though darkness prevented a full K-9 sweep.
Once in an interview room, Espinoza asked Horner two direct questions.
“Where’s she at?” he said.
Horner replied, “I can show you.”
Espinoza followed up: “Is she alive?”
Horner said Strand was not alive when he put her in the truck.
“I immediately knew that was a lie,” Espinoza said, citing the video he had already reviewed.
