Erin Brunett, aged 3 or 4, was abducted along with her 6-year-old sister Jalie after their mother, 35-year-old Callie Brunett, was killed in her mobile home in Loranger, Louisiana. The suspect, 36-year-old Daniel Callihan — who had previously dated the children's mother and was not the biological father — took the children to Jackson, Mississippi. An Amber Alert was issued on Thursday, June 13, 2024. Callihan was arrested on Boozier Drive in Jackson, and a Jackson police officer subsequently found Erin's body in a wooded area near McCluer Road. Her sister Jalie was found alive a few feet away and taken to a hospital. A second suspect, 32-year-old Victoria Cox (an acquaintance of Callihan), was arrested at a nearby hotel. Both Callihan and Cox were charged with capital murder and sexual assault/battery. Evidence of possible human trafficking, including small animal cages, was found at the location.
Contexts/Conditions
Is there any mention of child drug ingestion or overdose?
Is there any mention of a drowning incident (either intentional or accidental)?
Is there any mention of a firearm incident?
Is there any mention of inappropriate supervision (e.g., child wandered off and drowned)?
Is there any mention of inflicted injury? (e.g. slapped, punched, kicked, choked)
Both Callihan and Cox were charged with capital murder in connection with the child's death, which inherently implies inflicted injury resulting in death. Document 1 (WJTV) states "Callihan and Cox were both charged with capital murder and sexual assault." Document 2 (WDSU) confirms "Callihan is being charged in Mississippi with capital murder and sexual battery." While the specific mechanism of injury is not described, the capital murder charges make clear the child's death was the result of intentionally inflicted harm.
Is there any mention of malnutrition, starvation, or dehydration?
Is there any mention of medical neglect?
Is there any mention of a motor vehicle crash or incident?
Is there any mention of a murder-suicide incident?
Is there any mention of outdoor elements (including hot car deaths)?
Is there any mention of prenatal substance exposure (including fetal alcohol syndrome or neonatal abstinence syndrome)?
Is there any mention of sexual abuse?
Both documents reference sexual abuse charges. Document 1 (WJTV) states "Callihan and Cox were both charged with capital murder and sexual assault." Document 2 (WDSU) states Callihan is "being charged in Mississippi with capital murder and sexual battery" and that Cox "was denied bond for the murder charge and was given a $500,000 bond for the sexual battery charge." The charges of sexual assault/battery against both suspects involve the children in this case.
Is there any specific mention of shaken baby or abusive head trauma?
Is there any mention of prolonged abuse or torture (including restraints, captivity)?
Document 1 (WJTV) states "there was evidence of possible human trafficking at the location on Boozier Drive, including small animal cages" and that "Jackson police have contacted the Human Trafficking Divisions of the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI) and Hinds County to assess the scene." The presence of small animal cages suggests potential confinement or captivity of the children. Combined with sexual assault/battery charges, this is suggestive of cruel treatment. However, the duration of captivity appears to have been at most approximately two days (the children's mother was last spoken to on Tuesday, and the arrest was Thursday), and the text describes possible rather than confirmed human trafficking. The evidence is suggestive but not conclusive regarding prolonged, deliberately cruel treatment.
Is there any mention of an unsafe sleeping environment?
Individuals Involved
Was an adoptive parent or guardian involved in the death?
Was a biological father involved in the death?
Was a biological mother involved in the death?
Was a day care worker, babysitter, or nanny involved in the death?
Was a female paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., girlfriend, stepmother)?
Document 1 (WJTV) states: "the female suspect, 32-year-old Victoria Cox, is an acquaintance of 36-year-old Daniel Callihan." Cox was charged with capital murder and sexual assault in connection with the child's death. While described as Callihan's "acquaintance" rather than explicitly as his girlfriend, she is a female associate/friend of the primary male perpetrator who was directly involved in the death and charged accordingly.
Was a foster parent involved in the death?
Was a male paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., boyfriend, stepfather)?
Document 1 (WJTV) states: "Callihan is suspected of killing Callie Brunett. Investigators told the Associated Press the two had dated." It further notes: "Wade said he did not believe Callihan was the father of the two children." This establishes Callihan as a male paramour (ex-boyfriend) of the children's mother who was not the biological father. Callihan was charged with capital murder in connection with the child's death.
Was another adult relative involved in the death? (e.g., grandfather, aunt)
Was a sibling involved in the death?
Child Characteristics
Was the child adopted?
Was the child homeschooled (including "cyberschooling") or taken out of school?
Was the child in foster care at the time of the incident?
Was the child living with relatives at the time of the incident (but not parents)?
Is there any mention of a neurological developmental child disability? (e.g., autism, intellectual disability, nonverbal)
Is there any mention of a physical child disability? (e.g., feeding tube)
Is there any mention of prematurity or low birthweight?
Is there a history of child protection reports prior to death (for this child or siblings)?
Does the child have a history of foster care (but not in care at time of incident)?
Is there a history of a sibling death (separate incident from this death)?
Parent/Caregiver Factors
Was an adult charged or arrested for the child's death?
Document 1 (WJTV) states: "Jackson police said Callihan and Cox were both charged with capital murder and sexual assault." Document 2 (WDSU) confirms: "Callihan is being charged in Mississippi with capital murder and sexual battery" and "Accused accomplice, Victoria Cox, 32, appeared in the Hinds County Municipal Court on Monday. Cox was denied bond for the murder charge." Both adults were charged with capital murder for the child's death.
Is domestic violence by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Document 1 (WJTV) states: "Callihan is suspected of killing Callie Brunett. Investigators told the Associated Press the two had dated." The killing of an ex-partner (the children's mother, Callie Brunett) by someone she had previously been in a romantic relationship with constitutes intimate partner/domestic violence.
Is there any mention that the death occurred in a temporary shelter or while homeless?
Is an intellectual disability of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is the mental health of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is a history of arrests or criminal charges for the parent/caregiver referenced?
Document 2 (WDSU) details Callihan's extensive prior criminal history: "Court records from Tangipahoa Parish show that since 2008, Callihan has been arrested eight times in the parish. The charges date back to 2008 and range from various felony crimes such as burglary, theft, aggravated battery, simple burglary and simple assault. Court records show that in 2009, he pleaded guilty to felony simple burglary. Callihan was sentenced to 12 years in jail but was suspended as long as he followed probation. In 2014, he violated the terms of that probation and was ordered to serve five years." All of this criminal history predates and is separate from the current fatal incident.
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Document 2 (WDSU) states that in 2014, Callihan "was ordered to serve five years of the original sentence imposed and received drug rehabilitation treatment while in jail." This references a history of drug use by Callihan, who had de facto control of the children at the time of the fatal incident. While Callihan is not a traditional parent or caregiver (he is described as the mother's ex-boyfriend and is identified as the abductor), he was the person responsible for the children at the time of death.
Notable Details
Several notable details are present: (1) Document 1 (WJTV) reports "evidence of possible human trafficking at the location on Boozier Drive, including small animal cages," prompting contact with the Human Trafficking Divisions of MBI and Hinds County. (2) Document 2 (WDSU) reveals a significant criminal justice history: Callihan had been arrested eight times since 2008 and was sentenced to 12 years (suspended) in 2009, then ordered to serve five years in 2014 for probation violations. Document 2 notes: "If Callihan had served the entire five years in jail, he would have been released in 2019." This raises questions about whether earlier and fuller incarceration could have prevented this crime. (3) The case involved a multi-jurisdictional investigation spanning Mississippi and Louisiana with FBI, U.S. Marshals, Jackson PD, Rankin County Sheriff's Department, and Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office. (4) The child's mother was also killed, and the surviving sister was found alive nearby and returned to her grandparents in Louisiana.
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