Mississippi authorities provide update on Louisiana abduction case

JACKSON, Miss. ( WJTV ) – Mississippi authorities provided an update on a Louisiana abduction case that ended with one child deceased in Mississippi.

Mississippi Department of Public Safety (DPS) Commissioner Sean Tindell, alongside other authorities, discussed the state’s role on the case regarding the murders of Callie Brunett, 35, and Erin Brunett, 3.

Tindell said Daniel Callihan, 36, and the second suspect, Victoria Cox , 32, will be tried in both Mississippi and Louisiana. They are still waiting for forensic evidence in the case.

Callihan appeared in federal court in Jackson, Mississippi, on Friday, June 21. He waived his hearing in the Southern District of Mississippi, waived his right to a preliminary hearing and waived his detention hearing. He will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshal’s Service until he is transferred to Louisiana.

Callihan is suspected of killing Callie Brunett, 35, in Loranger, Louisiana, earlier this month.

Tangipahoa Parish Coroner Rick Foster said Callie Brunett died of “multiple sharp force injuries.” He said there were multiple stab wounds to her head, neck, chest, abdomen and back. Foster also said Brunett had what appeared to be defensive wounds to her arms.

Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Daniel Edwards said 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.

Investigators told the Associated Press that Callihan and Callie Brunett had dated.

Callihan and Cox were both arrested in Jackson in connection to the abduction of the two girls and the death of one of them. Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade announced on Monday, June 17 that Callihan had implicated Cox in the case.

Both Callihan and Cox were charged with capital murder and sexual battery in Mississippi.

In Louisiana, Callihan has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping of a child and second-degree kidnapping. Cox was charged with first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping of a child, second-degree kidnapping and accessory after the fact to first-degree murder.

According to Wade, Erin Brunett was found deceased in a wooded area off of Boozier Drive on Thursday, June 13. Her sister, 6-year-old Jalie Brunett, was taken to a Jackson hospital for treatment.

The Hinds County coroner said Erin Brunett died from asphyxiation due to suffocation.

The Jackson police chief said there was evidence of possible human trafficking at the location on Boozier Drive, including small animal cages. Wade said Jackson police have contacted the Human Trafficking Divisions of the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI) and Hinds County to assess the scene. He also said the crime scene in Jackson was processed for three days.

Authorities said the Amber Alert was issued for the two girls, who were abducted after their mother was killed in Loranger. Wade said he did not believe Callihan was the father of the two children.

A funeral was held for Callie and Erin Brunett in Louisiana on Thursday, June 20.

Anyone with additional information about the incident can contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.

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