A Texas community is grieving after a 7-year-old girl was abducted from her home and murdered, allegedly by a contracted FedEx driver who confessed to the crimes. Fox News Digital examined other cases in which Americans faced crime right on their doorstep, allegedly at the hands of delivery drivers, and what precautions are taken when hiring drivers.
“Her name is Athena Presley Monroe Strand. She was perfect from her creation. She was born perfect and too beautiful,” Athena Strand’s mother, Maitlyn Gandy, posted on Facebook this week.
“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,” the mom continued.
Strand disappeared from her home on November 30. Her stepmother reported her missing that same day, and two days later, her body was found about seven miles from the home along the Trinity River in the city of Paradise.
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Authorities say the body of 7-year-old Athena Strand was found on Friday, December 2, 2022.
(Wise County Sheriff’s Office)
Authorities arrested Tanner Lynn Horner, 31, a FedEx contract worker, in connection with the murder. She made a delivery to the home around the same time Strand disappeared, and police say she abducted the girl from the driveway of the family’s home.
7-year-old Athena Strand was allegedly kidnapped and killed by 30-year-old FedEx delivery driver Tanner Lynn Horner.
(Wise County Sheriff’s Office)
Horner eventually confessed to kidnapping and murdering the girl, according to authorities. He faces charges of capital murder and aggravated kidnapping and is being held without bail.
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The tragic murder sent shock waves through the entire community, which has held several memorial services for the girl. FedEx also issued a statement that they were at a loss for words to describe her shock at her death.
“Our thoughts are with Athena Strand’s family during this very difficult time. Words cannot express our shock and grief over this tragic event and we continue to fully cooperate with the investigating authorities,” FedEx said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.
FedEx has faced scrutiny from other drivers who allegedly committed crimes in recent days.
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Last December, the North Carolina sheriff’s office arrested Gregory Thomas Bufkin, a FedEx driver accused of burglarizing at least 12 homes. He was found guilty this year, according to local media reports.
In another case last year, a Connecticut FedEx driver named Tyrek Herbert was arrested after he allegedly forced his way into a woman’s home and held her and her children at gunpoint before fleeing. The day before the incident, Herbert introduced himself to the victim as a FedEx driver, according to the arrest warrant reported by the CT Post.
Herbert was also accused of raping a student at Sacred Heart College just weeks after he allegedly held the mother and children at gunpoint.
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In another case last year, a Poughkeepsie, New York, FedEx driver was accused of raping several teenage girls in the back of a company truck. He was arrested and charged last August with two counts each of rape, criminal sexual act and dissemination of indecent material to a minor.
A FedEx delivery truck with packages being unloaded in New York City.
(Fox Digital News)
Earlier this year, a New York central FedEx driver was arrested and charged with murder after a 74-year-old woman was discovered dead in her burned-down home in Ephratah. Suspect Anthony L. Dotson Jr., 24, had a FedEx delivery route in the area and was arrested in August, about three months after the woman’s death. A grand jury indicted him for second-degree murder, first-degree assault, first-degree arson, second-degree strangulation and criminal possession of a weapon in November.
Following Strand’s death earlier this year, FedEx has come under renewed scrutiny. Fox News Digital contacted the company to ask about its driver hiring practices.
“FedEx Ground contracts with more than 6,000 independent carrier, pickup and delivery services who are committed to providing outstanding package pickup and delivery services with their own employees,” a FedEx spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
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Contract workers are subject to criminal background checks, the spokesperson said.
“As is common in the industry and considered standard practice, employees of service provider companies are subject to a criminal background check as part of the eligibility process. If we become aware of any criminal activity within our network, we work quickly to investigate and address such incidents, including cooperation with law enforcement.”
Fox News Digital asked if the same service provider network also hires seasonal workers during the busy holiday season. FedEx said the vendors “employ drivers, helpers, managers and other personnel and retain sole discretion over all hiring decisions,” including seasonal personnel.
FedEx delivery van
(Pietro Recchia/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
It is unclear how many people were employed as FedEx contract drivers for the 2022 holiday season, and the spokesperson said the company is not providing that information. FedEx Corp. said last September that it was looking to hire an additional 90,000 workers “before the peak season.” However, not all of the positions were for delivery jobs.
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The spokesperson confirmed to Fox News Digital that “seasonal resources are also subject to a criminal background check as part of the driver eligibility process.”
FedEx center staff sort packages.
(Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)
The various tragedies allegedly involving FedEx drivers are also very rare when you examine how many deliveries the company makes each day. A recent study published in Statista determined that FedEx Ground delivered approximately 9.9 million packages per day during fiscal year 2022.
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Other FedEx drivers have been victims of crimes on the job, including a driver in Philadelphia earlier this year who was allegedly held at gunpoint, tied up and stripped of packages in the truck.
