Kidnapped girl found dead in forest after man arrested

A man was arrested after police accused him of murdering a 35-year-old mother and her four-year-old daughter.

The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office in Louisiana announced on social media that officers arrested 36-year-old Daniel Callihan on Thursday, June 15. He is accused of “committing brutal and heinous acts of violence” in connection with the murder of 35-year-old Callie Brunett and her 4-year-old daughter Erin.

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

Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade said in a press conference that an Amber Alert was issued for two young children on June 13. Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office Chief Jimmy Travis said the alert was issued after Brunett was found dead in her Loranger home and her two children were missing, according to CNN.

Wade said Jackson police officers and U.S. Marshals eventually found Callihan in a wooded area behind a house in Jackson, Mississippi – two hours from Tangipahoa – and took him into custody “after a brief chase.”

Wade noted that Jackson police officers searched the area where he was found and “found a dead child in the woods” – identified as 4-year-old Erin. He described the crime scene as “very traumatic” and “very tragic.”

“…This is not what you want to see. As a father, to see this baby lying on the ground who lost his life,” Wade said at the press conference, according to local Fox affiliate WVUE-TV. “This is an innocent 4-year-old child who is no longer with us because of the actions of a coward.”

Wade said officials were still trying to determine the four-year-old’s “cause of death.” As for the other child – a six-year-old girl – he said she was also found and “taken to the hospital for treatment.”

According to CNN, he also noted that there were signs of “human trafficking” in the wooded area where the girls were found. “We’re going to examine this crime scene with a scalpel. It’s going to take a long time to process this,” Wade told the source.

Travis said investigators believed Callihan and Brunett dated “on and off.” Before his arrest, Callihan was questioned “about a domestic violence incident that occurred at the time of the kidnapping and resulted in a murder,” according to CNN.

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Police said they do not yet have a motive for the alleged kidnapping and killing. Travis said their next step would be to question Callihan and the 6-year-old child who was found alive, according to the newspaper.

The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office and Jackson Police did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

During the press conference, the Jackson Police Department also asked anyone with information about the case to call their department at (601) 960-1234.