Police in Saginaw, Texas, publicly identified the 6-year-old girl whose body was discovered by local teens last week.
Alanna Gallagher was found naked under a tarp at an intersection in the quiet suburb of Dallas-Fort Worth the evening of July 1, with her feet and legs bound in red tape, and a plastic bag over her head.
According to CBS Dallas-Forth Worth, police have ruled out the victim's family as suspects.
Investigators searched the Gallagher home last week, seizing more than 100 items, according to local news outlet KHOU. Various evidence, including plastic bags, toilet paper, a blue-gray tarp and colored tape were also taken from the family's cars.
Although police said they had received several good tips about a vehicle sought in connection with the girl's murder, Saginaw Police Officer Damon Ing said in a phone interview with The Huffington Post July 10 that no further developments have been made in the case since Gallagher was identified last week.
HuffPost obtained a recording of a 911 call made by the father of one of the teens that found the girl's body. In it, the caller describes a "little girl in plastic bag ... with a belt around it [or] tape."
LISTEN:
On Monday, ABC affiliate WFAA reported that Gallagher lived in a polyamorous household and was raised by her two fathers and her mother. The victim's biological father, Miles McDaniel, told the station that he thought it was natural for police to ask questions, though he insisted that no one in the family had anything to do with his daughter's death.
"I know the odds are high it's a family member in this sort of situation, anyone that knows our family knows better," McDaniel told area news station KDFW after being questioned for nine hours by police Monday. "I want to find out who did this. I want justice."
He is not alone. The Saginaw community has rallied around the family, showing support through memorials, and by hanging purple ribbons from "streetlights, trees, utility poles, stop signs and lapels." It was Alanna Gallagher's favorite color.
As CBS affiliate KTVT reported, the murder of the girl has taken its toll on the suburb. Ryan Roden, a Saginaw mother of small children, told the station that she won't let her kids play outside alone anymore.
"It's either me or my mother with them," Roden said. "It's scary to let your kids outside and play, because we don't know exactly went on in this situation."
Related
Before You Go
