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Amber Alert ends in tragic murder of 4-year-old girl
Hours after Louisiana authorities issued an Amber Alert for the children of a woman found murdered, one of the missing children was found dead. (WVUE)
A man accused of brutally murdering a Louisiana woman he had dated is suspected of killing one of her two children abducted on Thursday.
Callie Brunett, 35, had been missing since Tuesday before being found "brutally murdered" inside her bedroom in Loranger, Louisiana, early Thursday morning, according to the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Louisiana State Police issued an Amber Alert for Brunett’s daughters, 4-year-old Erin and 6-year-old Julie, who were last seen at 8 a.m. Thursday.
Hours later, authorities in Jackson, Mississippi, found the suspect, Daniel Callihan, and 6-year-old Julie alive. Erin, the 4-year-old, was found dead near her mother's stolen car in a wooded area in Jackson. Julie was found inside her mother's vehicle.
NOLA.com reported on Friday that another woman, Victoria Cox, 32, was booked with capital murder and sexual assault in connection with Erin Brunett's death, according to the Jackson Police Department.
Police alleged that Cox was involved in the abduction and killing of Erin, who was taken from her home in Loranger, Louisiana, along with her 6-year-old sister, Julie, on Thursday. Their mother, Callie Brunett, 35, was found dead inside the home, according to law enforcement.
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"This was just an unspeakable crime," Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Daniel Edwards said. "Our hearts and prayers go out to the victims’ family. It was a horrendous tragedy."
Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade said small animal cages were discovered in the wooded area where the children were found. The case may be tied to human trafficking, police said.
"He tried to do away with the children by taking them into this wooded area," Wade said of the suspect, adding, "This was a horrible, horribly tragic situation that was committed by the actions of a coward.
"You don't want to see that as a police chief, you don't want to see that as a father, to see this baby on the ground that has lost her life. This is an innocent 4-year-old child," Wade continued.