Athena Strand’s parents speak out about their lives four years after their daughter was abducted and murdered by a FedEx driver, right after the court’s verdict.

Jacob Strand Athena Strand Maitlyn Gandy.Credit : Amanda McCoy/Star-Telegram via AP, Pool; Wise County Sheriff’s Department; WFAA/YouTube

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.

How did Athena Strand’s parents respond to her death?

Athena’s body was found on Dec. 2, 2022. Jacob, Ashley and Gandy were gathered at a local church — the central hub for search efforts — when they learned she had been killed.

Less than two weeks later, on Dec. 13, Jacob filed a lawsuit against Horner, FedEx and the contractor that hired him, Big Topspin, according to NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth.

He alleged that FedEx maintained “significant control” over its delivery drivers and argued that both FedEx and Big Topspin were negligent in failing to properly vet Horner’s background.

In February 2023, Gandy joined the lawsuit, seeking “fair and reasonable” compensation for the “acts and omissions” she claims led to her daughter’s death, per CBS News.

“This lawsuit is about Athena Strand — a vibrant young girl who deserves to have her memory live on for the good she brought to the world,” the filing stated. “It is about a life that was taken senselessly — a child who could have been any of ours. It is about a loss that could have and should have been prevented.”

The parents voluntarily dismissed the lawsuit in September 2023.

Where are Athena Strand’s parents now?

On April 7, Horner pleaded guilty to kidnapping and killing Athena. During the proceedings in Texas, her parents shared how their lives have been forever altered by her death.

Gandy is raising her younger daughter, Ryland, who was 3 when Athena died, in Oklahoma. For a long time, she avoided telling Ryland the full truth about her stepsister.

“I didn’t tell her that Athena was dead and that she had been killed until what should have been Athena’s 8th birthday,” she told the court.

Jacob, meanwhile, revealed in his testimony that he and Ashley are no longer married, and spoke about the toll of his daughter’s death.

“It broke me. It ruined my marriage,” he said, adding that he turned to alcohol to cope and lost 50 lbs. because he couldn’t eat.

Ashley — who is also the mother of two daughters, Alice and Yrsa — described how the tragedy has affected their family. Alice is from a previous marriage, while she and Jacob share Yrsa. She said Yrsa now runs and hides when she sees delivery drivers, and that Alice has returned to therapy after experiencing nightmares.

“I’m not the same. I don’t trust anybody,” Ashley added of her ongoing grief.