2 accused of kidnapping Louisiana girls and killing one of them are indicted in Mississippi

By Rebekah Riess and Jason Hanna, CNN

(CNN) — A man accused of killing a Louisiana woman last month and taking her 4-year-old and 6-year-old daughters to Mississippi – one of whom also was found dead – has been indicted in Mississippi on murder, kidnapping and other charges in the children’s cases, court records show.

Daniel Callihan was indicted by a grand jury on seven counts – capital murder in the death of the 4-year-old; two counts of kidnapping; three counts of sexual battery; and possession of a stolen vehicle, court papers filed June 28 in Mississippi’s Hinds County show.

A woman accused of being his accomplice, Victoria Cox, also was indicted in the children’s cases, including capital murder in the 4-year-old’s death; kidnapping; and sexual battery.

Louisiana authorities accuse Callihan, 36, of killing the children’s mother, Callie Brunett, at her home in Loranger, Louisiana, last month, abducting the two girls and taking them to Mississippi. On June 13, the 4-year-old girl was found dead and the 6-year-old was found injured but alive on a property in Jackson, Mississippi, authorities said.

Both Callihan and Cox, who were arrested in Mississippi on June 13 and June 14, respectively, also were indicted on state charges in Louisiana last month, and Callihan additionally faces federal charges.

An attorney representing Callihan on the charges in Louisiana told CNN he could not comment on the indictment in Mississippi. CNN could not locate legal representation for Callihan in Mississippi.

Cox’s Hinds County public defender, Christopher Routh, told CNN in an emailed statement: “An indictment is nothing more than a formal charge and is no indication of guilt or culpability. Every person charged or accused of a crime in this country is presumed innocent. Ms. Cox maintains her innocence and will plead not guilty at her arraignment.”

Authorities in Louisiana had found Brunett dead in her Loranger home, and then issued an Amber Alert June 13 for her daughters, who were missing.

Hours after the Amber Alert, law enforcement in Jackson, Mississippi – some 130 miles north of Brunett’s Louisiana home – arrested Callihan in a wooded area near a Jackson house and authorities found the body of the 4-year-old, authorities said. The 6-year-old was found injured and was taken to a hospital, police said.

Investigators said the wooded area, which had small cages and small wiring enclosures, could be tied to human trafficking.

Investigators believed Callihan had dated Brunett “off and on,” Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office Chief Jimmy Travis said last month.

A GoFundMe campaign created “in loving support of the Brunett family in a time of unimaginable suffering” has raised more than $62,000.

Charges in Louisiana

In Louisiana, a grand jury indicted Callihan on June 20 with two counts of first-degree murder – one in the death of Brunett and one in the death of the 4-year-old, according to court documents filed in Louisiana’s Tangipahoa Parish. He also was charged there with aggravated kidnapping of a child and second degree kidnapping.

The Louisiana grand jury also indicted Cox on a count each of first-degree murder, aggravated kidnaping of a child, second-degree kidnapping of a child, and accessory after the fact in first degree murder, according to Scott Perrilloux, district attorney for a judicial district that includes Tangipahoa Parish.

Louisiana will seek the death penalty against Callihan for the two first-degree murder counts, according to court documents filed Friday in Tangipahoa Parish.

Callihan pleaded not guilty to his Louisiana state charges on Monday, according to court documents.

CNN has sought comment from Callihan’s attorney.

Callihan also has been charged in federal court in Louisiana’s eastern district with kidnapping and transportation with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.

CNN’s Raja Razek, Jamiel Lynch, Elizabeth Wolfe, Mallika Kallingal, Sarah Dewberry and Ashley R. Williams contributed to this report.

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