Trial in Mississippi continued for woman charged in death of abducted Louisiana child

JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) — The trial for the woman charged in connection to the abduction of two Louisiana girls, which ended with one of them dead in Mississippi, was continued.

The defense and the state filed a motion to continue Victoria Cox’s trial due to the ongoing investigation and discovery. Judge Winston L. Kidd approved the motion on Tuesday, Feb. 18.

Cox’s trial had been set for March 24. A new date has not been announced.

A Hinds County grand jury indicted Cox for capital murder, kidnapping and sexual battery in connection to the case. She pleaded not guilty in

Hinds County Circuit Court. 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.

According to court documents, the jury trial for Callihan has been set for 8:30 a.m. March 10 in New Orleans.

Background of case

Callihan is suspected of killing Callie Brunett, 35, in Loranger, Louisiana, in June 2024.

Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Daniel Edwards said 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 Brunett had dated.

Tangipahoa Parish Coroner Rick Foster said 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.

According to Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade, Erin Brunett, 3, was found dead in a wooded area off Boozier Drive on June 13. The Hinds County coroner said Erin died from asphyxiation due to suffocation.

Her sister Jalie Brunett, 6, was taken to a Jackson hospital for treatment and later released.

An Amber Alert was issued for the two girls, who were abducted after their mother was killed in Loranger.

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 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.

Callihan and Cox were both arrested in Jackson. Wade said Callihan had implicated Cox in the case.

In Louisiana, Callihan was 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.

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