“WHY DID YOU SAY I’M PRETTY?” — A QUESTION NO ONE IN THAT ROOM COULD FORGET

A Texas family was shattered when they learned that their 7-year-old daughter, Athena Strand, had been kidnapped and killed.

Athena was reported missing by her stepmother, Elizabeth Ashley Strand, on Nov. 30, 2022. Two days later, she was found dead near a river about nine miles from her home. According to an arrest affidavit reviewed by PEOPLE, FedEx driver Tanner Horner allegedly helped lead authorities to the location.

Horner, who was delivering packages in Athena’s neighborhood at the time of the disappearance, reportedly told police that he panicked after striking Athena with his van while delivering Christmas packages to her home. He put Athena in his van and strangled her to death.

Horner was arrested and charged with capital murder and aggravated kidnapping in December 2022. Athena’s parents, Jacob Strand and Maitlyn Gandy, then filed a lawsuit against Horner and the contractor who hired him, per NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth.

“Athena was robbed of the opportunity to be anything she wanted to be,” Gandy told reporters that month, per CBS News. “I was robbed of watching [Athena] grow up by a man that everyone was supposed to be able to trust to do just one simple task: deliver a Christmas present and leave.”

On April 7, Horner pled guilty to capital murder and aggravated kidnapping, per CBS News and CNN.

So, where are Athena Strand’s parents now? Here’s what to know about the Texas family and where they are today, nearly four years after Athena’s kidnapping and murder.

Who are Athena Strand’s parents?

Athena was born on May 23, 2015, in Oklahoma to her parents, Jacob and Gandy, according to her obituary. It’s unclear when the two separated, though Gandy remained in Oklahoma.

In May 2022, Athena moved in with Jacob and his then-wife, Elizabeth Ashley Strand, across state lines, after Gandy became sick. What was meant to be a short-term arrangement was ultimately extended, and Jacob enrolled her in a local school in Paradise, Texas, per CBS News.

On Nov. 27, 2022, after a visit to Oklahoma, Gandy dropped Athena off with her father at a gas station in Bowie, Texas — their usual meeting point.

“I told her that I loved her and that I would see her on Friday,” Gandy told prosecutors of her last words to Athena. “We had a quick drop-off because her daddy was going to take them to the Christmas lights that night. It’s not the goodbye I would have wanted.”

After learning Athena was missing, Gandy immediately drove back to Texas on Nov. 30.

Who reported Athena Strand missing?

Athena’s stepmother, Elizabeth Ashley Strand — who goes by Ashley and had known her since she was about a year and a half old — was the one who reported her missing.

Ashley was cooking dinner when she realized Athena wasn’t in her room. According to the affidavit, Athena had been sleeping in a converted storage shed next to the house while it was under construction. Ashley searched the property, then called her sister-in-law, Heather, to ask if Athena was at her home up the hill.

After about an hour of searching, Ashley called the police, per her testimony. Jacob had left for a hunting trip earlier that afternoon.