Girl kidnapped dead; sibling found with suspect in Mississippi after mother's murder in Loranger

LORANGER — A 3-year-old girl reported missing from her home in rural Tangipahoa Parish was found dead in Jackson, Miss., Thursday hours after her mother's body was found dead at their residence, the police said. sheriff's office. His brother, also kidnapped from the home, was injured.

Tangipahoa Parish Deputy Chief Jimmy Travis identified the suspect as Daniel Callaghan and said Callaghan once dated the girls' mother, 35-year-old Callie Brunett. Brunett's father discovered her body in her home Thursday morning.

Jackson police said it appeared Erin Brunett was killed after police found him in Mississippi.

“Once he realized law enforcement knew where he was, he tried to get rid of the kids,” Wade said. “Thank God one of them survived and the grandparents are on their way to Jackson, Mississippi.”

Investigators say Callaghan was driving Brunett's car and a license plate reader in suburban Byram, Mississippi, alerted police and the U.S. Marshals Service to his whereabouts.

Travis said someone in Jackson noticed someone pulling on the doorknobs of homes and went to investigate. The person fled and officers later found him in a car with 6-year-old Jalie Brunett. Erin's body was located 30 to 40 feet away in a wooded area. Tangipahoa officials initially said the girl was 4 years old.

Jackson police said they did not know the cause of death.

Tangipahoa Parish officials spelled the suspect's last name as Callaghan while Jackson police spelled it Callihan. Jackson police said he was 36 years old.

Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade said it was unclear why Callaghan traveled to Mississippi or whether the kidnapping was part of a larger plot.

“We don’t know if there are other children in the woods,” Wade said. “If this individual used this location as a location for child trafficking and child abduction, we want to make sure that we have that evidence to ensure that he and anyone else will be prosecuted for this heinous, heinous act and terrible.”

Callie Brunett and her daughters were last seen Tuesday evening. The search began Wednesday evening.

“You're talking about a 36-hour window where someone could have taken these kids, and their car that's gone, and you could be on the other side of the country now,” Travis said earlier Thursday then that the research was serious. . “We don’t know if the children are in that area.”