Second arrest made in connection to murder of woman, 4-year-old
JACKSON, Miss. (WVUE) - A Louisiana woman was found dead in her home Thursday, and her two young daughters were abducted and found hours later in Mississippi — one dead and the other alive, police said.
Authorities arrested Daniel Callihan, 36, Thursday evening (June 13) following the discovery of four-year-old Erin Brunett’s body. Police say a K9 officer located him near a pond in a wooded area south of Jackson. He was booked into Rankin County Jail. Sheriff Bryan Bailey says Callihan is not being held in general population and is currently under constant supervision.
An alleged accomplice, Victoria Cox, 32, was also arrested, according to Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade.
U.S. Marshals discovered the child’s body in a wooded area in South Jackson, approximately 30 yards behind a house, three hours north of the initial crime scene in Loranger, Louisiana, where 35-year-old Callie Brunett’s body was found. Callie’s six-year-old daughter was found injured nearby.
“It’s traumatic even for my officers to see this,” Chief Wade said. “We didn’t come to work to see this today.”
Chief Wade described the scene as “horrible” and “tragic.” He says he believes the area where the girls were found may have been linked to human trafficking.
“Based on the crime scene, what it looks like, this may be the place where there has been some human trafficking done,” Chief Wade said. “We see cages, small animal cages. This is very, very disturbing to me as a police chief and as a father to witness and see what I saw.”
Chief Wade was asked if this was Callihan’s first time being involved in crimes against children.
“I do not have that first-hand information in front of me but I am sure that it is not,” he said. “I would go out on a limb and say that it’s not. I’m sure that he’s indulged in this type of activity before and that will come out as soon as he has his criminal history pulled.”
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Chief Wade said the crime scene would be meticulously investigated, saying, “We’re going to work this crime scene with a scalpel, not a sledgehammer.”
“This individual has used this location to traffic and abduct children. We want to ensure that he and anyone else involved are prosecuted for this act,” he said.
The FBI has taken the lead in the investigation and released a statement Friday morning.
“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.”
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