2nd suspect arrested after abducted child found dead in Mississippi

JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade said a second suspect has been arrested in connection to the abduction and death of a four-year-old girl in Mississippi.

Wade told WJTV 12 News that the female suspect, 32-year-old Victoria Cox, is an acquaintance of 36-year-old Daniel Callihan, who was captured on Thursday, June 13 in Jackson.

“She was arrested at 3880 I-55 South, the OYO hotel, here in South Jackson. Of course, it was a collaborative effort, again, between the FBI Task Force, Jackson PD, U.S. Marshal’s and Rankin County Sheriff’s Department,” the police chief said.

Jackson police said Callihan and Cox were both charged with capital murder and sexual assault. She was transferred to the Hinds County Detention Center in Raymond. Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Daniel Edwards said his investigators plan to question Cox.

Callihan was the suspect at the center of an Amber Alert in Louisiana before he was arrested on Boozier Drive.

According to Wade, 4-year-old Erin Brunett was found deceased in a wooded area. Her sister, 6-year-old Jalie Brunett, was taken to a Jackson hospital for treatment.

The Jackson police chief said there was evidence of possible human trafficking at the location on Boozier Drive, including small animal cages. Wade said Jackson police have contacted the Human Trafficking Divisions of the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI) and Hinds County to assess the scene.

Authorities said the Amber Alert was issued for the two girls, who were abducted after their mother was killed in Loranger, Louisiana, on Thursday.

Edwards said 35-year-old Callie Brunett was found dead by her father on the floor of her bedroom inside her locked mobile home on North Cooper Road after having been reported missing by her parents 24 hours earlier. They had last spoken to her Tuesday morning.

Callihan is suspected of killing Callie Brunett. Investigators told the Associated Press the two had dated.

Wade said he did not believe Callihan was the father of the two children. Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey said Callihan is being held in the Rankin County Jail on a courtesy hold.

WJTV 12 News reached out to the FBI in Jackson about the case. They said, “The FBI is dedicating all available resources and tools at its disposal to this investigation, including Victim Services personnel, who are working closely with the survivors of this unspeakable tragedy.”

Anyone with additional information about the incident can contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.