Two People Have Been Arrested in Mississippi on Charges of Killing a Woman in Louisiana and Stealing Her Girls
A grand jury in Hinds County, Mississippi, has charged the man with killing a woman in Louisiana last month and taking her daughters, ages 4 and 6, from her home. One of the girls was later found dead.
Authorities in Louisiana say Daniel Callihan killed the girls’ mother, Callie Brunett, at her home in Loranger, Louisiana, and then took the two girls away. The 4-year-old girl was found dead, and the 6-year-old was hurt.
Records show that a grand jury in Hinds County charged Callihan with seven counts, including murder, kidnapping, and sexual battery. Victoria Cox, who is accused of working with Callihan, was charged with three counts, also including murder, kidnapping, and sexual battery.
On June 13 and 14, Callihan and Cox were both taken. Last month, a grand jury in Louisiana also charged them in the case.
CNN was told by a lawyer for Callihan in Louisiana that he could not say anything about the charges in Mississippi. CNN was unable to find a lawyer in Mississippi who could help Callihan.
Chris Routh, Cox’s public defender in Hinds County, told CNN in an email, “An indictment is nothing more than a formal charge and is no indication of guilt or culpability.” In this country, everyone who is charged with a crime is thought to be innocent until proven guilty. Ms. Cox says she is innocent and will say “Not Guilty” when she is arraigned.
Because of the case, police put out an Amber Alert for the kids hours before they were found in Jackson, Mississippi, more than 100 miles away.
CNN reported that investigators said the wooded area where the kids were found could have something to do with trafficking people. The area had small cages and wiring structures.
More than $62,000 has been raised for a GoFundMe account that was set up “in loving support of the Brunett family in a time of unimaginable suffering.”