Louisiana Amber Alert ends with 2 dead, 1 girl found alive: Timeline

Before the death of a 4-year-old Louisiana girl on Thursday, an Amber Alert sparked an hours-long nationwide search for her and her 6-year-old sister, both abducted when their mother was found dead in their family home.

The body of 4-year-old Erin Brunett was found 120 miles away in a wooded area in Jackson, Mississippi, Tangipahoa Parish Chief Deputy Jimmy Travis said Thursday night during a news conference. She and her 6-year-old sister were abducted from their home in Loranger, about 45 miles northeast of Baton Rouge, the official said.

According to Travis, authorities believe the girls’ mother, 35-year-old Callie Brunett, was killed the same day the girls were abducted. The main suspect is 36-year-old Daniel Callihan, who had an “on-off relationship” with the mother, the police chief added.

Callihan was arrested Thursday night after police found him and the 6-year-old girl, who was “alive and well,” in Jackson, Travis said.

“Our condolences go out to everyone affected by this tragic event. These are unspeakable crimes,” Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Daniel Edwards said in a Facebook post. “We ask everyone to keep Callie’s family in their prayers.”

Here is a timeline of the case.

Callie Brunett found dead in bedroom

Travis said during an earlier news conference Thursday that Erin’s father went to the Lorangers’ house at 8 a.m. after Callie Brunett’s parents hadn’t heard from her since Tuesday afternoon. The father found Callie Brunett’s body in the bedroom and his daughters were missing, so he immediately called 911, the police chief added.

Sisters reported missing, Amber Alert issued

Shortly after the girls’ father found their mother dead, Louisiana State Police and the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office issued an Amber alert. Callihan was not named as a suspect, but police said in a Facebook post that they were looking for an “unknown white male” who was “wanted for questioning regarding a domestic violence incident that occurred at the time of the abduction and resulted in a homicide.”

Police described the man, who they believed was driving a black 2012 Chrysler 200, as “armed and dangerous.”

The search begins with a few details

During the search, Travis said during a previous press conference that the sheriff’s office had “no information” about the sisters’ whereabouts.

He said authorities searched Callie Brunett’s home and woods throughout the area but concluded the girls were likely no longer at the crime scene.

“There is nothing we can do for the victim at the moment,” said the deputy police chief. “Our priority is to find these two children and return them safely to their families.”

Erin found dead, 6-year-old alive in Mississippi

Jackson police and Tangipahoa Parish sheriff’s officials took Callihan into custody after tracking him into Mississippi, Travis said during the evening news conference.

An undercover officer in Jackson noticed Callihan “checking houses” and decided to investigate, Travis said. As the officer approached Callihan, the Louisiana man attempted to flee but was eventually caught and arrested, he added.

Once in custody, Callihan led officers to a car where the 6-year-old was found unharmed, Travis said. Callihan then showed officers a wooded area not far from the vehicle where Erin’s body was discovered, the police chief said.

“Callihan is accused of committing brutal and heinous acts of violence, including the murder of 35-year-old Callie Brunett of Loranger and her four-year-old daughter, Erin,” the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.

Callihan is being held at the Rankin County Detention Center in Brandon, Mississippi, WDSU and WVUE reported. He has not been formally charged with any crime as of Friday afternoon.

FBI launches “comprehensive investigation” into deaths of Erin and Callie Brunett

Several law enforcement agencies helped search for the sisters, including the Jackson Police Department and the FBI, which announced it would launch a “comprehensive investigation into the Brunett case.”

“We will continue to work with our local law enforcement partners, the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Jackson Police Department,” the agency said in a statement provided to Fox 8.

Suspected accomplice arrested

Authorities have also arrested a 32-year-old woman who Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade said is a suspected accomplice, WVUE reported. It is unclear what role she played in the alleged kidnapping and murders.

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