FBI Expert Testifies Athena Strand’s Killer Searched for FedEx Truck Camera Details and ‘Missing Girl’ Reports After Kidnapping

In chilling trial testimony, an FBI digital forensics expert revealed that Tanner Horner, the FedEx contract driver charged with the kidnapping and murder of 7-year-old Athena Strand, conducted a series of incriminating internet searches in the hours after the child’s disappearance — including queries about whether FedEx trucks have recording cameras and searches for news about a “missing girl.” The testimony offers a detailed window into Horner’s alleged actions and state of mind during and after the crime that devastated the small community of Paradise, Texas, in late 2022.

The testimony presented during Horner’s trial paints a disturbing timeline of the defendant’s digital activity in the critical hours following Athena Strand’s disappearance. According to the FBI expert, forensic analysis of Horner’s electronic devices revealed that he searched for information about whether FedEx trucks are equipped with cameras that record — a search prosecutors argue demonstrates his awareness that such footage could tie him to the crime. Horner also reportedly searched for news coverage of a “missing girl,” indicating he was tracking whether law enforcement and media had begun publicizing Athena’s disappearance. Digital forensic evidence has become an increasingly critical component in criminal prosecutions; the FBI’s Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory processes thousands of examinations annually, and search history, geolocation data, and device metadata have played pivotal roles in numerous high-profile cases over the past decade. In this case, the digital evidence is being used not only to establish a timeline but to argue that Horner took deliberate steps to assess his exposure and evade detection.

Athena Strand vanished from her father’s home in Paradise, a small community in Wise County, Texas, approximately 60 miles northwest of Fort Worth, on the evening of November 30, 2022. A massive search involving hundreds of volunteers, local law enforcement, and the FBI was launched almost immediately. Investigators quickly identified Horner, then 31, as a person of interest after FedEx delivery records and GPS data placed his truck in the immediate vicinity of the home around the time of Athena’s disappearance. Within approximately 48 hours, Horner was arrested and reportedly confessed to law enforcement, leading investigators to Athena’s body, which was found near a rural road southeast of the town of Boyd. The case sent shockwaves through the community and prompted urgent conversations about the vetting procedures for contract delivery drivers employed by major logistics companies. FedEx, which contracted with a third-party company that employed Horner, issued a public statement at the time expressing condolences and pledging cooperation with investigators. The tragedy also reignited national discussions about child safety, particularly regarding the presence of delivery personnel in residential neighborhoods.

The prosecution’s presentation of digital forensic evidence is a central pillar of its case strategy. Beyond the internet searches, investigators are expected to present additional digital and physical evidence, including GPS tracking data from the FedEx delivery vehicle, cell tower records, and forensic analysis from the crime scene. Legal analysts note that the search history testimony is particularly significant because it goes directly to the question of consciousness of guilt — a legal concept in which a defendant’s post-crime behavior, such as attempts to destroy evidence or monitor investigations, can be presented to a jury as circumstantial evidence of guilt. Defense attorneys in capital cases typically scrutinize digital evidence closely, sometimes challenging the reliability of forensic extraction methods or arguing that search queries are ambiguous and do not prove criminal intent. As the trial proceeds, observers will be watching closely for how the defense responds to this evidence, whether Horner will testify on his own behalf, and how the jury ultimately weighs the digital record against the totality of the case.

The trial is being closely followed not only in Wise County but across Texas and nationally. For Athena Strand’s family, the proceedings represent a long-awaited pursuit of justice more than two years after her death. Community members and child safety advocates have packed the courtroom, and victim advocacy groups have been present throughout the proceedings. Whatever the jury’s verdict, the case has already prompted lasting scrutiny of how contract workers in the delivery industry are screened, and it stands as a stark reminder of the growing role digital evidence plays in modern criminal prosecution.