Maitlyn Gandy, the mother of Athena Strand has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against FedEx and its contracting company Big Topspin.

Athena was a 7-year-old girl from North Texas who was abducted and murdered in 2022. Tanner Horner, 31 the suspect in her daughter’s murder, is also named in the lawsuit, which was obtained by local news outlet WFAA. 

It seeks to hold FedEx and its contract company accountable for their role in Athena's death to prevent similar tragedies in the future.

Child’s death “preventable”

According to the lawsuit, Athena was a "vibrant young girl who deserves to have her memory live on for the good she brought to the world." 

"It is about a life that was taken senselessly – a child who could have been any of ours. It is about a loss that could have and should have been prevented. It is about implementing better hiring, training, and supervising practices to prevent vicious killers from arriving at our doorsteps bearing an insignia that has been cultivated to instill trust. It is about preventing billion-dollar organizations from insulating themselves from liability by using fly-by-night contractors instead of acknowledging the responsibility they bear when we trust them to come onto our property, to our doorsteps, and even inside our homes."

The court document argues that her death could and should have been prevented. And companies like FedEx and Big Topspin have a responsibility to implement better hiring, training, and supervising practices to ensure that dangerous individuals are not allowed onto people's property.

Horner confesses to killing Athena Strand 

Horner, accused of abducting and killing Athena, is currently being held in the Wise County jail on a $1.5 million bond. He confessed when confronted with GPS tracking of his vehicle that showed he was in the driveway when the child disappeared. 

The Wise County Sheriff said that after the suspect was confronted with “digital evidence, as well as interviews” of the crime he made a statement.

 Horner allegedly told police that he accidentally hit Athena with his truck and then panicked, putting her in his van. 

According to the arrest affidavit, Horner attempted to break Athena's neck and then strangled her with his bare hands when that didn't work. He reportedly told police that he did this because Athena was going to tell her father about being hit by the FedEx truck he was driving.

In addition to the murder charge, Horner also faces three charges of sexual assault of a child that is unrelated to Athena's case. The charges stem from incidents that occurred in 2013, but it is unclear whether they involve the same person or different victims.

Father filed lawsuit in 2022

Athena's parents were divorced at the time of her death. And her father already filed suit against FedEx and Big Topspin in December 2022. 

In response to both lawsuits, FedEx released a statement responding to both lawsuits. After expressing condolences to Athena's family, the company acknowledged the pending litigation.

FedEx uses over 6,000 contractors across the United States to provide package pickup and delivery services. These contractors are subject to criminal history background checks, which are administered by a third party.