Just hours after an Amber Alert was sent out for the 4-year-old Louisiana girl and her 6-year-old sister—both of whom had been kidnapped from their home following the discovery of their mother’s body—the child was discovered dead in Mississippi on Thursday.
Tangipahoa Parish Chief Deputy Jimmy Travis informed reporters at a press conference that Erin Brunett, 4, and her sister Jalie, 6, were taken from their Loranger, Louisiana, home at roughly 8 a.m. on Thursday.
Loranger is located approximately 45 miles northeast of Baton Rouge.
Jackson, Mississippi, 120 miles away, is where Erin’s body was discovered. According to Travis, she was discovered with her sister, who was unhurt, and Daniel Callahan, the girl’s alleged kidnapper.
The chief deputy claimed that Callahan had a “on-and-off relationship” with 35-year-old Callie Brunett, the children’ mother who passed away.
According to Jackson authorities Chief Joseph Wade, Erin appeared to have been slain after Callahan learned that authorities had tracked him down in Mississippi.
“Once he realized law enforcement knew where he was, he tried to do away with the children,” As per the Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based outlet Wade stated. “Thank God one of them survived and the grandparents are on their way to Jackson, Mississippi.”
How did Daniel Callahan get arrested?
According to Travis, undercover officers spotted Callahan “checking houses” in Jackson. Callahan attempted to leave, but the officer apprehended him, he added.
Once in detention, Callahan pointed officers to a car in which Jalie was discovered “alive and well,” Travis said. Callahan then directed officers to a forested area near the automobile, where Erin’s body was recovered, according to the chief deputy.
Detectives from the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office are now on scene in Jackson. Earlier in the investigation, the sheriff’s office received information that Callahan was driving Callie Brunett’s vehicle in Jackson, so they were already in the area checking with local law enforcement, Travis said.
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How did the effort to search for Jalie and Erin get started?
According to Travis, during a previous press conference, the parents of the kids called the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office to report that they had been unable to get in touch with or find their daughter. It was at that point that the authorities learned about the girls’ abduction.
Travis said that when Erin’s and Jalie’s father arrived at their mother’s Loranger residence at eight in the morning on Thursday, he discovered her deceased in the bedroom and dialed 911.
Travis added that after searching the forested area around the residence, authorities didn’t “have any reason to believe the kids could still be” at the scene.
The chief deputy stated that Erin’s and Jalie’s mother’s car was not at the house when the girls’ father arrived, and her family hadn’t spoken to her since Tuesday afternoon. Travis continued, “It was unclear when the girls or their mother were seen.”
The chief deputy stated that Callie Brunett’s cause of death is being investigated by the Tangipahoa Parish Coroner.
‘She’s going to have to spend the rest of her life living with this’
According to Travis, Jalie’s grandparents are going to pick her up in Jackson after notifying the Brunett family.
Regarding Jalie, the chief deputy stated, “She’s been through something that most of us hopefully never have to experience.” “This is something she will have to live with for the rest of her life. This is awful.
