The accused accomplice in the kidnapping and death of Erin Brunett, a 4-year-old from Louisiana, has been charged with capital murder in Mississippi.
For planning to kidnap and sexually assault the victim’s sister, a 6-year-old recovered from a pit behind a decaying home in mid-June, Victoria Cox, 32, may be tried. Cox might be executed for killing the mother and 4-year-old.
Prosecutors say Cox and her boyfriend Daniel Callihan, 36, killed Erin “while engaged in the crime of the kidnapping.” The same day, Cox and Callihan kidnapped and sexually assaulted her 6-year-old sister Jalie Brunette, according to the lawsuit.
After their mother was brutally murdered, the six-year-old girl was found alive next her sister’s corpse. June 11 saw the disappearance of Loranger, Louisiana mother Callie Brunett, 35. Like Erin, her lifeless body was found in her bedroom on June 13.
Erin, her four-year-old daughter, was found dead in a wooded location south of Jackson, Mississippi. A few yards away from Erin’s death, her six-year-old sister Jalie was found hurt but alive.
Jalie was taken to a Jackson hospital for minor injuries straight away. Her grandparents house her.
This horrific case centers on Callie’s tumultuous connection with Daniel Callihan, her ex-boyfriend. Possibly Callihan’s girlfriend Victoria Cox is also being punished.
Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office fears “domestic violence” escalated to horrible levels. It was shocking to find small animal cages and signs of human trafficking in the daughters’ kidnapping.
Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook: “Callihan is accused of committing brutal and heinous acts of violence, including the murders of 35-year-old Loranger resident Callie Brunett and her four-year-old daughter, Erin.”
When Callie’s worried parents hadn’t heard from her, her ex-husband visited her in Loranger, Louisiana. He spotted her lifeless body and realized the daughters were missing, calling 911.
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After the 911 call, Louisiana State Police and the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office issued an Amber Alert on June 13, which led to Erin’s body being found in Mississippi.
At a press event last Thursday, Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade detailed the terrifying case. The situation is terrible. As a police chief or father, you don’t want to see this infant on the ground dead. This 4-year-old is innocent “stated.
He added, “This has sent shock waves across the Gulf South that this actually happened.”
He killed mom. Grabbed her kids. Bring kids to Jackson, MS. Killed a kid. “If law enforcement hadn’t intervened, the other child would probably be dead,” Joseph described the terrifying events.
The disturbing crime scene was described by Police Chief Joseph: “We notice cages, miniature animal cages, which may indicate human trafficking. As a police chief and father, what I observed is really upsetting.”
“We don’t know if the woods have additional kids. We need proof that this person trafficked and abducted children here to prosecute him and anyone else.”
If convicted, Callihan and Cox face the death penalty for capital murder and sexual battery. Callihan is in Rankin County jail, Cox in Hinds.
According to Joseph, “She will be held accountable for her actions and role in this horrific event that happened,” and “She could be facing capital murder charges along with him.”
Callihan told journalists, “I did it.” Interviewing, he said, “For what I did, lethal injection is the easiest thing for me.”
Callihan has not commented on Callie’s death, despite taking antidepressants and having mental health concerns. Investigators are still looking at him as the murder suspect.
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Jackson Police responded to the sisters’ disappearance together with other agencies. Since then, the FBI has launched a “full investigation into the Brunett matter.”
Agency statement: “The FBI has launched a complete Brunett inquiry. The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office and Jackson Police Department will remain our law enforcement partners.”
The statement 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.”
The Mississippi Bureau of inquiry stated: “MBI will pursue any charges on the state level of the investigation and continue working with all local and federal partners involved.”
In just three days, a GoFundMe page for the family raised $33,476. The page organizer wrote: “Supporting the Brunett family during unthinkable suffering. The funds received will cover Callie and Erin’s funerals and aid Jalie and the Brunett family through this sorrow.”