Mississippi

4-year-old Louisiana girl found dead, 6-year-old sister alive after frantic Amber Alert

Published

1 year ago

June 14, 2024

Press Room

4-year-old Louisiana girl found dead, 6-year-old sister alive after frantic Amber Alert

Authorities issued an Amber Alert for 4-year-old Erin Brunett and her 6-year-old sister Jalie after their mother’s body was found in her Louisiana bedroom. Only one sister survived their ordeal.

A 4-year-old Louisiana girl was found dead in Mississippi on Thursday just hours after an Amber Alert was issued for her and her 6-year-old sister, both of whom were abducted from their home after their mother was found dead.

Four-year-old Erin Brunett and her 6-year-old sister Jalie were taken around 8 a.m. Thursday from their home in Loranger, about 45 miles northeast of Baton Rouge, Tangipahoa Parish Chief Deputy Jimmy Travis told reporters at a news conference.

Erin’s body was found 120 miles away in Jackson, Mississippi. She was found along with her unharmed sister and the girls’ suspected abductor, Daniel Callahan, Travis said. Callahan was in an “on-and-off relationship” with the girls’ now-deceased mother, 35-year-old Callie Brunett, according to the chief deputy.

It appears Erin was killed once Callahan knew that police tracked him to Mississippi, Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade told WBRZ-TV.

“Once he realized law enforcement knew where he was, he tried to do away with the children,” Wade said, according to the Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based outlet. “Thank God one of them survived and the grandparents are on their way to Jackson, Mississippi.”

It’s unclear whether Callahan yet has an attorney.

How was Daniel Callahan arrested?

An undercover officers noticed Callahan “checking houses” in Jackson, according to Travis. Although Callahan attempted to flee, the officer managed to arrest him, he added.

Once in custody, Callahan directed officers to a car where Jalie was found “alive and well,” Travis said. Callahan then showed officers to a wooded area not far from the car, and that is where Erin’s body was discovered, according to the chief deputy.

Detectives with the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office are currently on scene in Jackson. Earlier in the investigation, the sheriff’s office got information about Callahan driving Callie Brunett’s vehicle in Jackson, so they were already in that area checking with local law enforcement, Travis said.

How did the search for Erin and Jalie begin?

Authorities became aware of the girls’ abduction when their mother’s parents called the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office and told them they hadn’t been able to contact or locate their daughter, Travis said during an earlier news conference.

Erin’s and Jalie’s father went to their mother’s home in Loranger at 8 a.m. on Thursday, found her body in the bedroom and called 911, according to Travis.

Authorities didn’t “have any reason to believe the kids could still be” at the scene after they searched throughout the wooded area near the home, Travis said.

Erin’s and Jalie’s mother’s car was not at the home when the girls’ father arrived, and her family hadn’t had contact with her since Tuesday afternoon, according to the chief deputy. It was unclear when the last time the girls or their mother were seen, Travis added.

The Tangipahoa Parish Coroner is determining the cause of death for Callie Brunett, according to the chief deputy.

‘She’s going to have to spend the rest of her life living with this’

The Brunett family has been notified and Jalie’s grandparents are going to pick her up in Jackson, Travis said.

“She’s been through something that most of us hopefully never ever have to experience,” the chief deputy said about Jalie. “She’s going to have to spend the rest of her life living with this. This is horrific.”

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Mississippi

Mississippi’s Pork Producers Association Grills Pork

Published

3 hours ago

October 31, 2025

Press Room

Mississippi’s Pork Producers Association Grills Pork

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – The Mississippi Pork Producers Association demonstrated several different ways to grill pork on the grill! Local Farmer Sean Boe also shared different facts about our state’s pork industry and how much it helps the economy and to feed people.

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Mississippi

Three business organizations joining forces to become the Mississippi Business Alliance

Published

22 hours ago

October 31, 2025

Press Room

Three business organizations joining forces to become the Mississippi Business Alliance

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – The state’s top lawmakers and business leaders mingled at the Mississippi Coliseum on Thursday morning – tradition for the annual Hobnob event.

The Mississippi Economic Council played host for the 24th and final time.

If you’re involved with politics or business, you’ve heard of these three organizations and the work they’ve been doing.

The Mississippi Economic Council, the Mississippi Manufacturers Association, and the Business and Industry Political Education Committee.

“Mississippi needed a single authoritative and common voice for business,” explained MEC Chair John Hairston. “Policy makers were asking for clarity when it comes to legislative priorities. Business owners were asking for alignment of our policies, and our members were asking to become more impactful.”

So, these three groups will become one.

“Will represent every sector of Mississippi’s economy under one banner: the Mississippi Business Alliance,” said Scott Waller, MEC President and CEO.

The new rebranding was unveiled in front of the Hobnob crowd.

However, things officially began with the merged efforts on Jan. 1.

“Previously, you had legislators and policymakers trying to look for advice or input and they had three different organizations that were similar and overlapped,” described John McKay, current head of the Mississippi Manufacturers Association.

McKay will lead the Mississippi Business Alliance.

The joint organization will build on the already existing work of the three groups – everything from policy to workforce development and vetting of business-friendly candidates.

According to policymakers, there will be a value in having a singular group for business interests.

“These three organizations are merging not just to consolidate, but to elevate,” Gov. Tate Reeves emphasized.

“To have a unified voice is very helpful to those of us who are supposed to implement public policy,” Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said.

And they’re looking at this as more than a simple merger.

“It’s really a transformation of how we operate and sponsor the business community moving forward,” Hairston continued. “It’s the uniting of our collective strengths into one clear and very decisive force for progress into the future, for the benefit of our grandchildren and those that come after them.”

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Mississippi

Mississippi woman searches for daughter in Jamaica

Published

2 days ago

October 30, 2025

Press Room

Mississippi woman searches for daughter in Jamaica

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – A Mississippi mother is searching for answers after not being able to get in contact with her daughter who is trapped in Jamaica from Hurricane Melissa.

Lori Washington, an Ocean Springs native, told 3 On Your Side that she has not heard from her daughter since Monday.

“Now my mind is flashing back to the phone call that I got when my soldier was killed,” Washington said. “My oldest boy was killed in 2014 and now I’m scared that I’m going to get another phone call.”

She shared that her daughter, Lasha Thornton, travels frequently for work and the last location she knew of her whereabouts was Trelawny, Jamaica.

Washington says Thornton just turned 26 and must’ve been in Jamaica for her birthday.

In a text from her daughter Monday, Washington shared that she informed her the airports were shut down, and she would have to wait out the storm.

It has now been two days since hearing from her daughter, and Washington is doing all that she can to find answers.

“Once some reporter over there can hear this and make sure that my daughter is either at the convention center, where they have some of the tourists, or if they can check, I just want to know she’s okay and that she’s eating and she’s hydrated,” Washington said. “And I want her to come home, it’s time to come home.”

According to a post Tuesday on the country’s government website, there were around 6,000 people in shelters.

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