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 an “on-and-off relationship” with 35-year-old Callie Brunett, the children’s mother who passed away.
According to Jackson authorities Chief Joseph Wade, Erin was likely killed once Callahan found out that the authorities had followed him to Mississippi, as reported by WBRZ-TV.
Wade stated, “Once he realized law enforcement knew where he was, he tried to do away with the children,” the outlet located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana claimed. “Thank God one of them survived and the grandparents are on their way to Jackson, Mississippi.”
It’s unclear if Callahan has a lawyer yet.
How did Daniel Callahan go into custody?
Travis stated that an undercover policeman observed Callahan “checking houses” in Jackson. He said that despite Callahan’s attempts to run away, the officer was able to apprehend him.
After being taken into custody, Callahan led the police to a car where Jalie was discovered “alive and well,” according to Travis. The chief deputy stated that Callahan then led the officers to a wooded spot not far from the automobile, where Erin’s body was found.
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Currently, detectives from the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office are in Jackson. According to Travis, the sheriff’s office was already in Jackson, checking in with local law enforcement, after receiving information earlier in the inquiry regarding Callahan using Callie Brunett’s car there.
How did the hunt 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.
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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.
“This is something she will have to live with for the rest of her life.” According to Travis, Jalie’s grandparents will pick her up in Jackson after notifying the Brunett family.
Regarding Jalie, the chief deputy remarked, “She’s been through something that most of us hopefully never have to experience.” “This is something she will have to deal with for the rest of her life. This is terrible.”
