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

By Kaitlin Howell Feb 19, 2025 | 11:10 AM

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

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, February 18, 2025.

Cox’s trial had been set for March 24, 2025, and is now expected to be in the next term. A new date has not been announced.

A Hinds County Grand Jury previously indicted Cox for capital murder, kidnapping, and sexual battery in connection to the case. She pled 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.

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 said 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 was extradited to Louisiana.

According to court documents, the jury trial for Callihan has been set for March 10, 2025, at 8:30 a.m. in New Orleans, Louisiana.