Woman pleads not guilty after abducted child found dead in Mississippi
JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) - The woman charged in connection to the abduction of two Louisiana girls, which ended with one of them deceased in Mississippi, appeared in court for her arraignment on Tuesday, July 16.
According to the public defender for Victoria Cox, she pled not guilty in Hinds County Circuit Court.
A Hinds County Grand Jury previously indicted Cox, 32, for capital murder, kidnapping, and sexual battery in connection to the case. The grand jury also indicted Daniel Callihan, 36, for one count of capital murder, two counts of kidnapping, three counts of sexual battery, and one count of receiving stolen property.
Mississippi Department of Public Safety (DPS) Commissioner Sean Tindell said Callihan and Cox will be tried in both Mississippi and Louisiana.
Callihan is suspected of killing Callie Brunett, 35, in Loranger, Louisiana, in June 2024.
Tangipahoa Parish Coroner Rick Foster said Callie Brunett died of “multiple sharp force injuries.” He said there were multiple stab wounds to her head, neck, chest, abdomen and back. Foster also said Brunett had what appeared to be defensive wounds to her arms.
Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Daniel Edwards said Callie Brunett was found dead by her father on the floor of her bedroom inside her locked mobile home on North Cooper Road after having been reported missing by her parents 24 hours earlier.
Investigators told the Associated Press that Callihan and Callie Brunett had dated.
According to Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade, 3-year-old Erin Brunett was found deceased in a wooded area off of Boozier Drive on Thursday, June 13. Her sister, 6-year-old Jalie Brunett, was taken to a Jackson hospital for treatment and later released.
The Hinds County coroner said Erin Brunett died from asphyxiation due to suffocation.
The Jackson police chief said there was evidence of possible human trafficking at the location on Boozier Drive, including small animal cages. Wade said Jackson police have contacted the Human Trafficking Divisions of the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI) and Hinds County to assess the scene. He also said the crime scene in Jackson was processed for three days.
Authorities said the Amber Alert was issued for the two girls, who were abducted after their mother was killed in Loranger.
Callihan and Cox were both arrested in Jackson. Wade announced on Monday, June 17 that Callihan had implicated Cox in the case.
In Louisiana, Callihan has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping of a child and second-degree kidnapping. Cox was charged with first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping of a child, second-degree kidnapping and accessory after the fact to first-degree murder. Callihan has since been extradited to Louisiana.
Anyone with additional information about the incident can contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.