A 4-year-old girl from Louisiana was found dead in Mississippi on Thursday, just hours after an Amber Alert was issued for her and her 6-year-old sister. Both girls were taken from their home after their mother was found dead.
The girls, Erin Brunett, 4, and Jalie, 6, were abducted around 8 a.m. Thursday from their home in Loranger, Louisiana, about 45 miles from Baton Rouge. Chief Deputy Jimmy Travis from Tangipahoa Parish shared this information in a news conference.
Erin’s body was found 120 miles away in Jackson, Mississippi. She was found with her unharmed sister Jalie and the suspected abductor, Daniel Callahan. Callahan had been in an “on-and-off relationship” with the girls’ mother, Callie Brunett, who was found dead.
Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade told WBRZ-TV that it appears Erin was killed after Callahan realized police had tracked him to Mississippi. Wade stated, “Once he realized law enforcement knew where he was, he tried to do away with the children. Thank God one of them survived and the grandparents are on their way to Jackson, Mississippi.”
It is not clear if Callahan has an attorney.
How was Daniel Callahan arrested?
An undercover officer in Jackson saw Callahan “checking houses,” Chief Deputy Travis said. Callahan tried to run, but the officer arrested him. Once in custody, Callahan led officers to a car where Jalie was found “alive and well.” Callahan then showed them a wooded area nearby, where Erin’s body was discovered.
Detectives from the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office were already in Jackson because they had information that Callahan was driving Callie Brunett’s vehicle there.
How did the search for Erin and Jalie begin?
Authorities learned about the girls’ abduction when their mother’s parents called the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office, saying they couldn’t reach their daughter. Erin and Jalie’s father went to their mother’s home in Loranger at 8 a.m. on Thursday, found her body in the bedroom, and called 911.
After searching the area near the home, authorities did not think the girls were still there. Callie Brunett’s car was missing, and her family hadn’t heard from her since Tuesday afternoon. It was unclear when the girls or their mother were last seen.
The Tangipahoa Parish Coroner is determining Callie Brunett’s cause of death.