One of two kidnapped Louisiana children is found dead in Mississippi after his mother was killed

JACKSON, Mississippi — A Louisiana woman was found dead in her home Thursday, her two young daughters were kidnapped and found hours later in Mississippi — one dead, the other alive, police said.

A Louisiana resident who was with the woman was arrested in Jackson, Mississippi, in connection with the deaths and kidnapping, investigators said.

“He had the victim’s car and her six-year-old child, who was safe and sound,” said Chief Deputy Jimmy Travis of the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office in Louisiana.

The body of the other child, a 4-year-old, was found near the car in a wooded area in Jackson, Travis said.

Louisiana State Police issued an Amber Alert for the children after their mother, Callie Brunett, was found dead in her home in Loranger, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) east of Baton Rouge. She had been reported missing after no one had spoken to her since Tuesday, Travis said. The cause of death was not immediately released.

“This was just an unspeakable crime,” said Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Daniel Edwards. “Our condolences and prayers go out to the families of the victims. It was a horrific tragedy.”

Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade said officers contacted the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation’s Human Trafficking Unit about the case. He said small animal cages were discovered in the wooded area where the children were found.

“He tried to kill the children by taking them into that wooded area,” Wade said of the suspect, adding: “This was a horrible, horribly tragic situation caused by the act of a coward.”