Authorities in Louisiana have called off the search for two young girls who were abducted following the murder of their mother after police recovered the body of the 4-year-old and found her sister alive, officials announced during a press conference.
Callie Brunett, 35, was missing since Tuesday before being found "brutally murdered" inside her bedroom early Thursday morning, according to the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office.
During a press conference Thursday morning, Sheriff Daniel Edwards said her two young daughters, Jalie, 6, and Erin, 4, are "unaccounted for."
Hours later, authorities made a grim discovery and reported the recovery of 4-year-old Erin Brunett’s body.
"Horrible, horrible, tragic situation. You don't want to see that as a police chief, you don't want to see that as a father, to see this baby on the ground that has lost her life. This is an innocent 4-year-old child," Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade said during a press conference.
Police added that Jalie was found alive and the suspect, identified as Daniel Callihan, was arrested in Jackson, Mississippi, WVUE first reported.
Erin’s body was found only a few yards from where her sister was found alive in a wooded area, police said.
Jalie was found inside the vehicle driven by Callihan.
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She was transported to a local hospital for treatment of minor injuries.
"A coward took this child from her family," Wade said.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation and Jackson Police Department are assisting in the investigation.
Earlier Thursday, the Louisiana State Police issued an Amber Alert on behalf of the sheriff's office for the girls, who were last seen at their home in Loranger around 8 a.m. on Thursday.
Police said a domestic violence incident spiraled out of control, leading to Brunett's murder and the girls' abduction.
Authorities did not immediately disclose the manner of Callie Brunett's death, but Edwards said there was "blood everywhere."
