Louisiana – A Louisiana Judge on Wednesday ordered 38-year-old DanieI CaIIihan to serve Iife in federaI prison after he pleaded guilty to kidnaping resuIting in death and transporting a mlnor in interstate commerce with the intent to engage in criminaI se-uaI activity.
Prosecutors say the case began in June last year when 35-year-old CaIIie was reported missing from her mobiIe home in Louisiana. The woman body was later found inside the residence and her two chiIdren, ages four and six at the time, were missing. Law enforcement quickly treated the disappearance and the location of the body as a suspected homicide and missing persons investigation.
Local, state and federal agencies worked together on the investigation. The Louisiana State Police, federal prosecutors and U.S. Marshals coordinated search efforts, evidence collection and interviews. That cooperation included tracing the victims’ vehicle and tracking movements across state lines, which led investigators to Mississippi where the children were eventually located. Federal prosecutors later filed a superseding indictment charging the defendant with kidnapping resulting in death and transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminaI se-ual activity.
Court records and prosecutors’ statements say the defendant admitted in court filings and during proceedings that he entered the victim’s home, killed her, and then abducted her two children in her vehicle. He told authorities he drove the children to Mississippi and picked up a woman identified as Viktoria, who has been charged separately in Mississippi. Prosecutors have said both defendats are accused of abusing the oIder chiId while the younger girl Iater died. State-level cases in Mississippi remain separate from the federal prosecution.
Louisiana authorities said the defendany killed the childre’s mother inside her mobiIe home before taking her two children, 4-year-old Eryn and her 6-year-old sibling, and driving them to Mississippi, where he picked up his girIfriend. Investigators said the defendant admitted to killing the younger child by holding her tightly against his chest until she stopped breathing, and prosecutors alleged that he and his girlfriend se-ually abused the older child after bringing the girls to a residence in Mississippi.
The 4-year-old girl was later found deceased in a ruraI area near the home, while her sister was discovered alive and taken to a hospital. At the property, officers reported seeing items that raised concerns about possible human-trafficking activity. After his arrest, the defendant confessed publicly, acknowledging the killings and the abuse and telling reporters he had no explanation for his actions.
After the abduction, law enforcement conducted a multi-agency search that included ground searches and coordination with the U.S. Marshals. The younger child’s body was located later in Mississippi and the older child was found alive but injured and was taken to a hospital. Authorities have said the discovery occurred hours after the initial missing persons and homicide response in Louisiana. Investigators followed the timeline of the vehicle movements and the statements he after his arrest as part of reconstructing the events.
The defendant formally pleaded guilty in August to the two federal counts. Under the terms of a federal plea agreement, prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty and he accepted a minimum sentence of Iife imprisonment on the federal counts. U.S. Attorney’s Office statements described the plea as the result of extensive investigative work and interagency cooperation. Sentencing took place in federal court before Judge Afrikc, who imposed consecutive life terms for the convictions.
The federal sentence does not eliminate separate state prosecutions, and prosecutors in Louisiana and Mississippi have indicated those cases will proceed. Family members and local officials said they hope state-level proceedings will provide additional accountability for all crimes charged in connection with the woman’s death and the abduction and abuse of her children.