Sandra Renee Cantu
March 8, 2001 - March 27, 2009
Sandra Renee Cantu was born on March 8, 2001. Her neighbors and teachers
described her as outgoing and friendly. Sandra's aunt said that Sandra
was full of life and very loving. Sandra loved gardening, cooking, and
coloring. She also loved Hannah Montana and liked to sing the song "Best
of Both Worlds".
Just a short while before she died, Sandra celebrated her eighth
birthday. Just nine days after her birthday on March 27, 2009, Sandra
came home from school and kissed her mother and then left to go play
with one of her friends who lived near her house. A surveillance video
of the town shows Sandra happily skipping over to her friend's home.
Sandra never returned home.
Sandra was reported missing, but her body was found on April 6, 2009. It
is assumed that she was killed very soon after she was kidnapped.
Sandra's body was found inside of a suitcase that had been dumped into a
dairy farm. The black suitcase belonged to a woman named Melissa
Huckaby. This woman was the daughter of the minister at Sandra's church.
She was also the mother of a daughter. Her daughter was a bit younger
than Sandra, but sometimes, she and Sandra played together.
Melissa claimed that she left the suitcase in her driveway the day
Sandra was murdered. Sandra had been strangled with a torn piece of
cloth. Sandra had been sexually assaulted with an object, and inside the
suitcase was a rolling pin with Sandra's DNA on it. It is believed that
the rolling pin was the object Sandra had been assaulted with. Sandra
suffered a cut to her lip, abrasions to her elbow, and injuries to her
genitals.
Melissa plead guilty to first degree murder, but said that she did not
sexually assault Sandra. The sexual assault charges were dropped as part
of the plea deal.
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