Disclaimer: All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
LORANGER, La. (WGNO) — A woman was found dead in Loranger Thursday and an Amber Alert was issued for her two young children. Hours later, one of her children was found dead and the other found alive in Mississippi.
Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Daniel 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.
According to the Louisiana State Police, her two children, 6-year-old Jalie and 3-year-old Erin, were abducted before 8 a.m.
Troopers initially said an unknown white man was wanted for questioning in connection to a domestic violence incident that ultimately resulted in Callie’s death. He was believed to be driving her car, which was a black 2012 Chrysler 200 with Louisiana plate 859GML.
Daniel Wayne Callihan (Courtesy: Rankin County Sheriff’s Office) 
Daniel Callahan arrested in Mississippi on Thursday, June 13, 2024. (Courtesy: Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office) 
Authorities in Mississippi have captured a man at the center of an Amber Alert out of Louisiana. (WJTV) 
Authorities in Mississippi have captured a man at the center of an Amber Alert out of Louisiana. (WJTV) 
Callie Brunett’s missing vehicle (Courtesy: Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office)
Around 4 p.m. Thursday, the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office reported that a suspect, 36-year-old Daniel Callihan, was arrested in Jackson, Mississippi.
Additionally, it was announced that Erin had been found dead in a wooded area. Jalie was found alive and taken to a Jackson hospital.
Nexstar Media’s WJTV News reported that Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade said possible evidence of human trafficking, “including small animal cages,” was discovered at the scene and the Human Trafficking Divisions of the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation and Hinds County were contacted.
Wade said he did not believe Callihan was the father of the two children. He’s currently being held at the Rankin County Jail on a courtesy hold.
In a video from the Jackson Police Department, Callihan is heard reportedly admitting to the crime saying he deserves the death penalty.
Wade also told WJTV News that an alleged accomplice has been arrested. Victoria Cox, 32, is an acquaintance of Callihan, who was also captured Thursday in Jackson and faces possible charges of capital murder.
The FBI has opened an investigation into the crime. On Friday morning, the FBI’s New Orleans office issued a statement.
The FBI became involved in this case when it first became aware Thursday morning. The FBI has now opened a full investigation into the Brunett matter. We will continue to collaborate with our local law enforcement partners at the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office and Jackson Police Department. 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. We appreciate the public’s interest and assistance in this case and ask anyone who might have helpful information to call 1-800-CALL-FBI. To preserve the integrity of this ongoing investigation, we cannot share further details
FBI New Orleans
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