Texas school districts wear pink today in honor of Athena Strand after a FedEx driver was charged in her kidnapping and killing

Many school districts across Texas are encouraging students to wear pink today in honor of Athena Strand, the 7-year-old girl who was allegedly kidnapped at her home and killed last week.

Strand disappeared from the driveway of her home in Wise County on Wednesday. After a county-wide search, her body was recovered Friday evening according to Wise County Sheriff Lane Akin. Authorities believe she was killed within an hour of her alleged kidnapping, but her cause of death is still under investigation.

“The suspect has been identified as a contract driver for FedEx; 31-year-old Tanner Lynn Horner was making a delivery to Strand’s home when she disappeared,” said Akin.

Horner is being held in the Wise County jail on capital murder and aggravated kidnapping charges. Bond was set at $1.5 million.

Tammy Natusch, whose granddaughter attends elementary school in nearby Haslet, made a shirt that reads “Pink Out for Athena” for her granddaughter to wear to school.

Extra counselors will be available for students today at elementary and intermediate schools in the Paradise ISD where Strand attended school. Superintendent Rod Townsend said in a statement on Facebook. “We lost a precious member of our student body,” Townsend said in the statement. “Athena Strand was tragically lost this past week. This world will forever be different because she wasn’t allowed to grow and develop into the precious young lady she was meant to be.”

Strand’s mother, Maitlyn Presley Gandy, said in a Facebook post that her daughter was taken from her by “a sick, cruel monster for absolutely no reason.”

Gandy described her daughter as a loving big sister who dreamed of growing up to be a Viking princess with tattoos just like her dad’s. She was “innocent, beautiful, kind, intelligent, and just the brightest, happiest soul you could ever meet,” her mother wrote. “I want everyone to know, every single person in this world, that this is my baby and my baby was taken from me. I want everyone to know her face and her voice and just how wonderful of a person she is.”

According to Akin, Horner did not indicate a possible motive and said he did not know the family or the child. FedEx did make a statement on Friday; “Words cannot describe our shock and sorrow at the reports surrounding this tragic event. First and foremost, our thoughts are with the family during this most difficult time, and we continue to cooperate fully with the investigating authorities.”