NEW ORLEANS — An absolute horror story played out in real time Thursday as a community kept its attention on a situation that started out terribly and got worse before ending with death of a mother and her young child, a desperate search, a survivor and dozens of questions, most prominently of which was simply, why?
Why was a mother killed in her home and why were her two young children abducted and taken across state lines? What were the motives for the killing? Why did someone take the children and would they be found safely?
The timeline
The time frame is murky but sometime between text messages between Callie Brunett and her parents Tuesday night and when she was found in her home Thursday, she was killed and her children were taken in her car.
How long of a head start did the person who had the children have? Why was Brunett killed? How was she killed? Did her children witness the crime? Were they in physical danger?
WWL Louisiana got word of the story early Thursday and dispatched a crew to Loranger. A short time later a sheriff’s office news release said only that the mother had been found dead in her home and that the children were unaccounted for.
A search of the surrounding area was done. Before noon, Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office Chief Jimmy Travis was pleading for the public’s help. He said Brunett had last been in contact with her family Tuesday night and that there was concern the next day. Her father initially didn’t think to look inside of her home because her car wasn’t there, but eventually he did, making the grisly discovery. Detectives quickly called it a homicide though the manner of Brunett’s death wasn’t made public.
Amber Alert
A short time later the rarely-used but top priority Amber Alert was sent out for the two young children – 3-year-old Erin Brunett and 6-year-old Jalie. Amber Alerts trigger the sending out of signals to mobile phones and emergency alerts on television stations of a similar urgency to a tornado warning.
An Amber Alert is only utilized when a child is abducted and believed to be in imminent danger and if enough information is available about the alleged abductor to assist in the child’s recovery.
The case quickly escalated from one of local jurisdiction to one that included federal authorities; U.S. Marshals and the FBI. Travis said information coming in rapidly led them to locations in McComb, Miss. and then to Jackson.
By Thursday afternoon, a suspicious person was noted checking on door handles of homes in Jackson. U.S. Marshals went to apprehend the man and he fled but was successfully chased down.
Daniel Callihan, described as the on-again-off-again boyfriend of Callie Brunett, was taken into custody. Erin Brunett’s body was found in a wooded area in Jackson. Her sister was found alive and was said to be physically okay. Officials said Callihan is not the father of either child.
“She’s been through something hopefully, most of us never experience,” said Travis.
Is there a link to human trafficking?
An Associated Press story detailed some of the press conference held in Jackson late Friday.
Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade said officers contacted the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation’s human trafficking division about the case. He said small animal cages were discovered at the wooded area where the children were found.
“He tried to do away with the children by taking them into this wooded area,” Wade said of the suspect, adding, “This was a horrible, horribly tragic situation that was committed by the actions of a coward.”
Callihan is due in court Friday for his first appearance. The FBI is now in charge of the case.
Questions remain, but the outcome for a Louisiana family is clear and awful. Some lives ended, others changed forever.