Sandra Cantu Body Found – The body of Sandra Cantu, a missing 8-year-old girl, has been found in a suitcase dumped in an irrigation pond a few miles from her northern California home.
Sandra Cantu’s body was found Monday after a 10-day search, authorities announced.
Authorities would not comment on their investigation, but they roped off the mobile home park where Sandra lived. They had previously searched several homes and towed several cars from the park.
No suspects have been identified.
“Our heartfelt sympathies go to Sandra’s family and friends,” said Tracy Police Chief Janet Thiessen. “We will determine the person or persons responsible for this reprehensible act, and we will bring them to justice.”
Authorities planned an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
Thiessen said Sandra was found wearing the same clothes she had on when she was last seen on March 27: a pink “Hello Kitty” T-shirt and black leggings.
Sandra’s disappearance sparked a widespread search that included hundreds of volunteers and law enforcement officials, including the FBI, and drew more than 1,000 tips.
Pictures of the girl with dark brown eyes and light brown hair were posted all over town, on business fronts, car windows and fire hydrants in this city of 78,000 about 60 miles east of San Francisco.
Investigators said they spoke last week to the girl’s father, Daniel Cantu, who lives in Mexico and works in southern California. Authorities would not give any details of the discussion, but the father told the Tracy Press newspaper he had not seen his daughter for a year.
Police said the suitcase was found by farmworkers who were draining the irrigation pond to water fields.
Investigators cordoned off the area for hours while they searched the area for clues. The suitcase was eventually opened at the coroner’s office, where Sandra’s body was positively identified.
More than 100 mourners — some holding candles, others wiping away tears — gathered outside the mobile home park Monday night while police blocked the entrance.
“I am still in shock,” said Brandy Robles, 27, who held her 2-year-old son. “You see this in the movies. I never thought it would be real life — real to me.”
And that’s the latest news on Sandra Cantu body found.
Tags: missing girl, murder, sandra cantu, sandra cantu body found
April 7th, 2009 at 8:33 am
April 7th, 2009 at 8:35 am
A clip from a surveillance video from Orchard Estates Mobile Home Park showing missing 8-year-old Sandra Cantu on March 27, the last day she was seen.
April 7th, 2009 at 2:14 pm
This is so sad, I have a 7 year old and I don’t know what I would do if something like that happened to her.
April 11th, 2009 at 6:58 am
Melissa Huckaby Arrested For Sandra Cantu Murder
Police announced early Saturday morning they have arrested 28-year-old Melissa Huckaby for the kidnapping and murder of 8-year-old Sandra Cantu, who disappeared from the Orchard Estates Mobile Home Park in Tracy, California on the afternoon of March 27th.
Sandra’s body was found 10 days later, stuffed into a suitcase and dumped in a farm pond. Earlier Friday, Huckaby had told reporters a suitcase had been stolen from her on March 27 – the day Sandra disappeared.
Huckaby was booked into the San Joaquin County Jail Saturday morning on suspicion of kidnapping and murder after voluntarily coming in for questioning.
Early in the investigation, Huckaby told authorities Cantu had come over to her mobile home to play with her 5-year-old daughter on the day she disappeared.
FBI agents had searched the mobile home Huckaby shared with her grandparents, as well as her SUV.
Huckaby is a Sunday school teacher at the nearby Clover Road Baptist Church, where her grandfather is the pastor.
However according to local Fox40 News, she has a prior police record, convicted of felony charge of second degree commercial burglary and a misdemeanor charge of property theft and served time in Los Angeles County.
April 11th, 2009 at 1:36 pm
Bizarre followup story on the arrest of the Sunday school teacher who skilled Sandra Cantu and stuffed her into a suitcase and then threw her body into an irrigation pond.
http://a11news.com/1707/melissa-huckaby/
April 11th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
why could melissa huckaby do such a bad and sick thing too sandra… .
sandra will never be forgoten.. i will alwya have her in my blessings…
April 11th, 2009 at 2:29 pm
why could melissa huckaby do such a bad and sick thing too sandra… .
sandra will never be forgoten.. i will always have her in my blessings.. day and night a pray for all those children too be safe and my sister. dat iz 6 years old too..
soo she would never be forgotten…. – Melisa Vazquez
April 13th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
This is another horrible story of violence towards a child. The people that harm children are the sickest, worst people on this earth… There is nothing a child could do to make a person cause their death… If this women did kill her, I hope she gets the justice that she deserves..
I pray for the family may God watch over them and allow them to feel so peace.
April 14th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
Melissa Huckaby Molested Sandra Cantu
Prosecutors said Monday they may include rape and molestation charges, in addition to murder, in the case against the Sunday school teacher accused of killing an 8-year-old Northern California girl and putting her body in a suitcase.
Melissa Huckaby, 28, was arrested Friday on suspicion of kidnapping and murdering Sandra Cantu. She is scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday.
Formal charges have not been filed, but San Joaquin County Deputy District Attorney Robert Himmelblau said Monday a murder charge against Huckaby could include the special circumstances of rape with a foreign object, lewd and lascivious conduct with a child and murder in the course of a kidnapping.
A decision on which, if any, special circumstances to include in the charges hasn’t been made, but a conviction on any of them would make Huckaby eligible for the death penalty or life in prison without parole, Himmelblau said.
The district attorney’s office hasn’t determined whether to seek the death penalty, he said.
On April 6, Sandra’s body was found in a suitcase by farmworkers draining an irrigation pond located only a few miles from Sandra’s home in the Orchard Estates Mobile Home Park.
Huckaby lived with her grandparents five doors down from Sandra in Tracy. The little girl was a playmate of Huckaby’s 5-year-old daughter, Madison.
Police have not said how, where or why Sandra was killed, but Sgt. Tony Sheneman said investigators believe she acted alone.
“We have not been provided with one (a motive),” Sheneman said Monday. “We don’t know why a mother would kill another mother’s child.”
Neither Himmelblau nor Sheneman would provide details on any evidence leading prosecutors to consider the sexual assault allegations.
“I was hoping that wasn’t the case,” Sandra’s aunt, Angie Chavez, said through tears. “I’m in shock. The whole thing is unimaginable.”
April 15th, 2009 at 9:48 pm
my deepest condolence goes out to the cantu family.ive been following this story since day one and yet i cant stop crying….their is no words in the face of this earth that would take the pain away,but just remember little sandra is in heaven now at peace with my grandchild in the arms of god were noone will ever hurt them again….my maiden name is cantu also and yet i dont know my entire family,but you and your family i consider part of mine now……..my GOD bless you and your family,will keep you in my prayers….
April 18th, 2009 at 1:57 am
My deepest, deepest condolences go out to the Cantu Family. I have a 7 and a 5 year old Beautiful girls and I cannot imagine the pain you all are going through. If something happened to my little girls I would die of pain right there and then. I just found out of her passing and I am breaking up this moment, how can anybody harm an innocent, defenseless child like that!!! It must be somebody without a soul or conscience, not even animals harm their cubs. I do not have a word to classify such a being, insane, animal, I don’t know I am just disgusted, authorities should have a way of preventing this from happening, this is not fair, parents should not survive their children, that is just wrong. Again, my deepest condolences, sincerely from the bottom of my heart, may God give you will and strength to survive, it is something I could not do.
June 5th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
That melissa bitch needs to be put on death row! She’s a sick woman. This is a beautiful girl and what she’s done has ended her future!! I hate these stories. How could someone be so hateful. How could you live with yourself.