LORANGER — The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office confirms that one of the two missing girls at the center of a statewide Amber Alert has been found dead in Mississippi, while her older sister was found injured, but alive after a pursuit. This follows the discovery of their mother’s body in Loranger, Tangipahoa Parish, earlier that day.
The body of 4-year-old Erin was found in a wooded area in Jackson, Mississippi. Her 6-year-old sister, Jalie, was found safe with the suspect, Daniel Callihan, according to the TPSO.
Callihan, 36, from Amite, has been arrested in Jackson, Mississippi. TPSO’s Jimmy Davis informed UWK that Callihan had previously dated the girls’ mother, Callie Brunett, and it’s why her murder is now being investigated as a domestic homicide.
Early Thursday morning, Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Daniel Edwards said Callie Brunett’s father found her dead inside her home on N. Cooper Road in Loranger.
“Callie’s father went to residence around 8 a.m. and forced entry into the locked trailer and located his daughter’s body on her bedroom floor,” said TPSO’s Chief Deputy Jimmy Davis.
Officials quickly learned that her two daughters were missing, along with her car. An Amber Alert was issued for the two young girls on Thursday, prompting several tips to come into the TPSO office.
“After the Amber Alert was issued, we found the car on a camera south of Jackson, MS. We then learned the car was at a McDonald’s in McComb on Wednesday, June 12, and later in Jackson, MS, yesterday evening,” said Chief Deputy Jimmy Travis.
Travis said that was when TPSO deputies headed to Jackson, MS, with assistance from several other agencies.
“He was in a neighborhood in Jackson, MS pulling on doors and someone made a call to police. An undercover officer in the area responded, saw the suspect and got into a pursuit. After the pursuit, the officer learned who the suspect was. After he was taken into custody, his car was located, and the 6-year-old was found unharmed inside. Her 4-year-old sister was found deceased in an adjacent wooded area,” he added. “We have a six year old girl who has a hard life ahead of her based on what she’s experienced.”
Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade tells UWK the stolen car, that belonged to Brunett, was found behind 3950 Boozier Ave. in south Jackson, Mississippi around 3 p.m.
“The officers did a search of the area along with the U.S. Marshals. Our Jackson Police officers were assisting with the search. At that time, they located the two young girls in the wooded area. One had injuries, but she is still alive, but the 4-year-old was deceased,” said Chief Wade.
Chief Wade said the location where the arrest unfolded had signs of human trafficking, but did not go into too many details adding it was under investigation.
“There were cages in a fenced in area but you didn’t see any animals or dogs or cats or wildlife. So it’s very concerning. We do have the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations on scene, the FBI, the U.S. Marshal’s, Harris & Rankin County Sheriff’s Office and of course Jackson PD so that’s why we want to process the scene very extensively and it may be over hours, may be overnight, it may be over days to make sure it’s all properly processed,” Chief Wade told UWK.
“It’s absolutely awful, heinous, disturbing, tragic, traumatic for me to see this as a police chief and to see it as a father. It was very disturbing. I had the opportunity to go to the crime scene and see this baby that had lost her life and it was just absolutely overwhelming for me and all the officers who responded but he will be held accountable for his actions,” added the chief.
The two girls had possibly been missing for over 36 hours, according to the TPSO.
TPSO says multiple agencies are involved in the investigation including the FBI given the crime went across state lines. Callihan is facing multiple charges in both Louisiana and Mississippi, including murder and aggravated kidnapping. However, the exact charges have not been released at this time.
“He took these abducted kids across state lines, which makes it a federal offense,” added the chief.
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