SANDRA CANTU FOUND DECEASED IN SUITCASE

Posted by BOC Staff | Amber Alert,Kidnapping,Missing Persons,Murdered,Sandra Cantu | Monday 6 April 2009 9:54 pm

BREAKING NEWS

image by Klaasend

image by Klaasend

Tracy, CA- Missing young girl from  Tracy, California since March 27th at 4:15PM; The remains of  eight year old Sandra Cantu have been recovered. This morning at 10:03 am, a Farmer called the San Joaquin Sherriff’s office to report a suspicious black “sealed container” floating in an irrigation pond that was being drained. suitcase2-11

Earlier this evening, FBI crime scene investigators removed the “container” and escorted the bag to the coroners office in French Camp.

bagremove

According to search reports, The pond was drained and refilled seven days ago; therefore the bag could not have been placed there prior to Sandra’s disappearance on March 27. The area around the Silva Dairy Farm has been searched twice by ground searchers, but the ponds were not subject to side scan sonar review.

Blink on Crime previously uncovered that one of the named persons of interest in this case, Mr. David Leroy Slayter, lived next to the Cantu/Chavez household prior to moving into Space #43, the residence he shares with his companion Debra and a son Justin. 

Sandra was a beaming, bubbly eight year old who lived with her grandparents in Orchard Estates Mobile Home Park at 812 West Clover Rd in Tracy. The video surveillance taken from her home the day she went missing captured Sandra leaving the family home. 

She was found approximately six miles from her residence . cloverbacchetti6min3

Sandra was the daughter of Danny Cantu and Maria Chavez and the maternal grandaughter of Delores and Jose Chavez.

 

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48 Comments

  1. [...] Read the rest at Blink on Crime: Share This [...]

  2. Prevost1580 says:

    :( devastating! How many more times does this have to happen!!!! Sex offenders can not be rehabilitated. Please look at your own neighborhoods and please! watch your kids. This is not Maybury anymore.

    Hopefully Haliegh Cummings will be found but I think she is dead too.

  3. Pam says:

    This sweet child had just turned 8 yrs. old! Slayter found it appropriate to have a then 7 yr. old hang out several times a week bowling and playing Yahtzee!! WTF! I am sick….this area was searched twice? Where the heck were the cadaver dogs? One can only pray that forensics can produce more than the searches did. My heart and deepest prayers go out to the family and their community. I have much more I want to say about our responsibility of keeping our children safe, but this moment is not the time to do so. God Speed Sandra Cantu

  4. Sister says:

    How sad — I cannot even begin to wrap my brain around why people want to hurt children. I use the word “people” liberally. How frightening the world has become.

  5. no excuses says:

    Sorry, I wouldnt put Haliegh Cummings in the same catagory. I believe that one was an inside job….

    Prayers go out to the family and hope the PIG who is responsible is hung and made an example of

  6. I am soooo outraged with the outcome on Innocence Sandra Cantu,How many times will any responsible Adult let there Child out to do anything!!!!! ALONE ???? What is wrong with People !!!!!????? We have some Neighbors where I Live and they let their Children both age 7 out to play with absolutely no supervision at all!!!!!They never CHECK on them , They never come outside to see if there OK ??? I go out there when they come out to play and put a chair outside and sit and watch them till they go in !!!!! Please Parents , Guardians DO NOT LET YOUR CHILDREN OUT OF YOUR SITE !!!!! EVER !!!!!

  7. Laura Jean says:

    My deepest heartfelt condolences to her loving family. I am so sorry for what they have to endure. More so for what precious Sandra had to endure. I am completely speechless, in shock. :(

  8. Nancy says:

    My heart sank when I read this just now. I was hoping I read it wrong but I didn’t. This is horrible! I pray that they find out who did this to Sandra. Blink thanks for keeping us informed of this case. If it wasn’t for the internet and your site I wouldn’t have known about little Sandra. I have an 8 year old girl and this story hit really close to home. Parents please watch your children. Always know where they are.

  9. George Vreeland Hill says:

    Put all child killers to death.
    We have had enough of this.
    Also, all child rapists must be put to death as well.
    All sex offenders (child rapists die) must be put away for life.
    Society is PISSED off at this shit.
    NO MORE!
    Put all judges on notice.
    We are going after them as well over this.
    I am,

    George Vreeland Hill

  10. Gina says:

    We LoJack our vehicles because we don’t want them to get stolen. We microchip our dogs because we love them and want to find them if they get lost. Day after day I hear of a child being kidnapped and murdered. If I were a new parent, I would seriously consider putting a microchip in my young child. Our children are much more precious than our vehicles and animals! We have to do what ever it takes to keep them safe.

  11. Mary Lee says:

    This same issue with having to worry about child predators goes back so many years. In the late 70′s they decided they had a cure, therapy. The first cured offender, within 24 hours of release, stole a toodler from her fenced in yard. I don’t know what happened to destroy the safty factors I grew up with. I can only tell you true facts. If we want to put a stop to child predators, we start in their childhood. This is where the problems begin. You cannot change elements that were instilled into a person in their childhood, once they reach adulthood. I would love to think that there was a special way to protect our children and grandchild. Maybe we need to begin working together in our neighborhoods, watching the children. I even though maybe there should be isolated communities for predators, not within 50 miles of a child.. But, that can’t be done. Who do we trust with our children… where can we trust our children to be safe. There is no answer. A predator waits for a victim and an opportunity. Two factors. My heart breaks for Little Sandra, but I also know that with statistics, That by the time her Mother realized she was gone, Little Sandra had already passed. When people begin to understand what and how a predator attracts a child, is not always grabbing and running. They build up trust with this child, they are kind and pleasant to this child. Like having a good friend in a grownup. That’s one reason children can disappear so easily, there is no struggle. We teach our children to listen to adults, to obey what they tell them. We teach our children to be trusting. What should we teach our children???

  12. fedupmom says:

    I just dont understand how these predators feel they have the right to take someone elses child!!! Child predators/sex offenders are the sickest individuals on the planet. There just doesnt seem to be any way to stop them–they certainly seem undeterred and unable to be rehabilitated.

    Lets all hug our children close and tell them we love them and PROTECT them. Laws must be changed for even the lowest level sex offender–there should be no second chances at being part of society.

    I pray for Sandra and her family and all families suffering similar tragedies.

  13. [...] dairy farm where she was found is about six miles from her [...]

  14. caligram says:

    Time to change the laws, and lock up sex offenders permanently or put all of them on an island surrounded by sharks. There is no cure for sex offenders. Meed to make space in the jails for them, even if that means releasing some petty thieves or someone caught smoking weed. This innocent child did not deserve to be caught by some monster who then killed her. My deepest sympathy goes to those who cared for her. This is another tragedy that didn’t need to happen.

  15. Nancy says:

    It’s sad that the media didn’t have this out more. There needs to be some new law out. I guess there was no amber alert out because there was no evidence that she was abducted but they need to come out with a new law for cases like this. They waited too long and didn’t report it enough. This is so tragic. I can’t get over it. I pray for Sandra’s family and friends. The person that did this to this innocent little girl needs to be caught and dealt with. RIP beautiful Sandra, you’re an angel now.

  16. Greg says:

    I hope they find sperm and finger prints.

  17. dddeerma says:

    There really is a war on women and children. While I continue to feel that LE bungled this, it is the procedures for handling abductions that is wrong. As well as the punishment for sex crimes. It is time for a change in laws. Those who feel free to use children for sex and abuse women must be locked up. Period. That Chris Brown who hit and punched and BIT his girlfriend must face serious jail time. What can be done to stop these horrible crimes? LE kept saying this was not an abduction, then that they had good hopes. STUPID THINKING. The crime, not their fault: the lousy investigation, their bad.

  18. Scarrlett says:

    When I saw that suitcase I prayed it was not her but it is so so sad that this kind of thing goes on.

    I beleive it has always been around but without the Internet and the world media stations we just hear more about it now. In the past many many crimes went undetected and unsolved. So in this respect we have come a long way.

    I also do not beleive sex offenders can be rehabilitated.
    Parents…WATCH OVER YOUR CHILDREN.

    Condolences to Sandra’s family.

  19. drumstick says:

    Blink, great photos of the scene. Thank you for keeping us updated in this heart wrenching case.
    Precious little Sandra will remind us that people find people. Not dogs, not law enforcement, but people just like you and me.
    Thank God for the Farmer who found little Sandra. He gives us hope that others will uncover the truth and find the others in the many missing cases left unsolved.

  20. chitown lady says:

    My heart bleeds for this family. I can not grasp someone who wants to hurt a child. But yet this happens way too many times. It seem the sex offenders have more rights them us. Thats even worse. The animals who prey ion kids cannot be rehabilitated. What they need is a SLOW PAINFUL DEATH……They are the lowest of the low. I am so so so sorry for the family. I pray that little Sandra is in the Lords loving arms..She did nothing wrong. She was a trusting sweet child who look at life thru trusting eyes.Bless you…..

  21. Linda says:

    This is just so sad. I feel so bad for the family at this difficult time.

    We are Americans. We have to stand up and do something as a country.

    The courts are not helping these children…they let these pedifiles go out and live among our children and it has to stop…something has got to be done. We have to stand up and do something…these kids are our future.

    I just feel so sad today. God bless Sandra!
    That poor little girl.

  22. My opinion says:

    I was so holding out hope for this baby:( After Caylee and Haleigh, I am just sickened, I feel punched in the gut. I do not understand the minds of these monsters that hurt children.:( AND…..SEX OFFENDERS NEED THEIR SEX ORGANS REMOVED FROM THEIR BODIES!!! THEY CANNOT BE REHABILATATED!!!

  23. kimm says:

    I say give who ever did this should get the death penalty. No injection,no gas or electicity let them die in that suitcase. I pray this teaches people to keep a better eye on their children

  24. Paula says:

    Isn’t there a Silva(last name) on the sex offenders list for Tracy CA just like the farm name? This Slayter fella seems pretty shady. Did Sandra’s mom know she spent all that time with him? Also with him alone or was his wife there? That’s usually how it works with pedo’s. They get friendly and make you trust them and then pull their cr*p. My neighbor, who was like a grandpa figure, took me to the library and his wife baked homemade bread. They told interesting stories about where they had traveled and treated me like a grandkid. It turned out he was a perv. They just wait for the right opportunity. You never know. Every time I read another story like this I feel sick. That poor baby girl.

  25. Red Ranger says:

    Bless this little and all of the other littles that this will happen to. The average time actually served for molesting a child is not much. When does it change? What does it take to make our judges and politicians understand that the public is sick of these miscreants harming our littles?
    I am a firm believer that a sick enough punishment deters the crime. If a ped saw another ped pulled apart, joint by joint, on tv, he may decide to keep his mitts to himself. If he saw another sick freak have all his bones crushed individually with no benefit of medication, he may quell his demonic urges. If he saw another monster was tied up in a room and all of the victims relatives got to go in there and beat him to death with sticks, he may never have another thought of harming a little. Extermination is the key. Rehabilitation has been proven to be ineffective, if not laughable.
    I also feel for her parents and the farmer that found this baby. They now have a lifetime of bad dreams ahead. Blanket them in comfort, as well as the littles.

  26. Red Ranger says:

    Hey Blink, please feel free to delete my last post if you deem it unfit. I’m not feeling very nice today, given the news. I did write the nicer of the punishments I was thinking.

    No Chance Red Ranger, Im with you.
    B

  27. Tan says:

    I feel horrible for Sandras mother, but at the same time parents need to wake up. They need to be more involved in knowing who their children are associating with. IMO 8 years old is too young to be all alone wandering the neighborhood. What I find shocking is the sighting of a little girl on a boat…now IF that was Sandra how in the world can your child be out on a boat and you have no clue???? Wake up parents and take care of OUR FUTURE!

  28. Prevost1580 says:

    In a f-g suitcase! Put this sick p.o.s in a cell with crasey Anthony,who threw her kid away in a f-g trashbag!

    What a sick world this has become and our justice system is a f-g joke!

    Excuse my cussing but this BS really gets to me.We just aren’t protecting the innocent,enough and we do not get *enough* justice for the victim.

    I just hope & pray that it was quick & Dear Lord! I pray she didn’t feel a thing :( just went quickly- Amen*

  29. Felicity says:

    Let us pray that whoever killed this precious child will be CAUGHT SOON! If not, he will do the same thing to another child asap. These sick-os never stop.

    My prayers for Sandra’s friends and loved ones. May God hold you through this great tragedy.

  30. Robert Stanfield says:

    Enough. This has to stop. Our children are our future. I suggest the offender gets 15 minutes with me and any other volunteers. We’ll send him to the hell where he belongs. I don’t want to hear about any therapy or rehabilitation. These offenders have lost the right to live. Please allow me to put the (^&%%*%*) in a suitcase & dispatch him in public view in a televised forum. Only through total fear of potential reprisals can we stem the attacks on our children. These offenders are chicken sh.t and that’s why they prey on the kids. Try me on for size, I dare you. I remember when you could actually be friends with a child…Those days are gone. Too bad, I love kids and now feel I have to make a wide path around ones I don’t know.

  31. NoseyRosey says:

    Red Ranger I would love to see your ideas be accepted into our judicial system. I too am so tired of hearing of these horrible acts against our children. May God be with all the little ones each and every day. And may Hell consume those who hurt our children.

  32. Christen Allen Iman says:

    The other day I had posted a message here at Blinkoncrime regarding the probable location for the recovery of Sandra Cantu.
    (From a computerized geospatial analysis program known as SMART)

    Apparently this information has now been proven accurate, as she has been recovered.

    Why did you remove my message when everyone else here has been permitted to state their views and opinions.

    My analysis was for law enforcement the community and for Sandra.

    Sincerely
    Christen Iman
    California State University-Chico

    Christen- its right where you left it, I even commented on it. No offense, but are you familiar with RSS?
    Lastly, I work with LE on some of the cases I write on and I can tell you for a fact that finding Sandra within 5 miles of her home is not a revolutionary factoid in this case that they would be seeking mapping and probability software for. Although I am familiar with several cases where it has been successful.
    B

  33. Prevost1580 says:

    THERE is a special place in Hell! for these sick f_kers who would hurt kill or molest any child or be cruel to an animal. Thus said, with the scumbag attorneys out there who defend these p.o.s and the shrinks who make excuses for them! sadly the victim like Sandra always pays the price.

    BTW! I wrote this on another blog too but can parents of daughters please encourage your little girls not to wear the short shorts with stuff written on the butt ect. and please for the love of God! teach these girls to be ladies when they sit with shorts, skirts & ect. on. Please watch your kids!!! you do not know WHO is watching them. Get off of the cell phones or whatever you are doing for yourselves & pay attention. Our justice system is useless. It’s your job to protect them.

  34. casebreaker says:

    I’m so sorry that the family has to endure this great loss,thoughts and prayers go out to them.I was looking at california S.O.website,i see a Philip Lagrange who lives about 2 miles from that trailer park,he’s an older guy and maybe older guys like to use suitcases?It sounds to me that there may be an interstate child killer,i mean first Haleigh and now sandra.I wonder if this guys been to florida recently?

  35. Gigi says:

    i have written this before on this same site. it is so sickening how many times i have had to say this, so many instances of missing and murdered children. i have a master’s degree in criminal justice and have worked in the correctional system. i think the first time someone commits a sexual crime on a person under the age of 16, the perpetrator should be locked up for life. how many children do we have to sacrifice before america wakes up to this crisis. sexual predators will never change; they are not capable of changing. their behavior only escalates. society cannot monitor these deviants 24/7 nor should we have to. lock them up and keep them locked up. i cannot imagine how this child’s parents are coping with this horrible loss. i hope they find the monster who did this and execute him.

  36. Guest says:

    What was so unusual about an 8 year old girl walking in broad day light in the middle of the road in the very neighborhood she lived in? Nothing.

    The child must have heard her name called out and trusted the person she went to. There is no other explanation for this. My heart breaks for her dear mother. They need a mandatory death sentence for all child killers.

  37. George Pritchard says:

    You can thank your liberal judges and every other liberal leader you have voted into office for this horrific event. Once again, our humanity suffers at the hands of lenient, soft justice systems due to liberal philosophies geared toward “tolerance” and “acceptance” and “no profiling” and “rehabilitation” — We reap what we sow, folks. It’s likely the perp here is an ex-convict or has priors that should have kept him off our streets. That poor child was such a defenseless human being; I can’t imagine the terror she experienced. I live two blocks from the house where Polly Klaas was taken. I can see the window that Richard Allen Davis crawled through to get her. I am reminded every day of the fragility of our society. DON’T LET LIBERAL PHILOSOPHIES RUIN OUR LIVES! DON”T EMPOWER LIBERALS!!

    WHOA, George. Them’s fightin words. I am NO LIBERAL. Ask around. This is a true crime site so I try to keep politics out of here, but let me invite you here: http://www.scaredmonkeys.com.
    Ask for Red, you guys will bond.
    Blink

  38. Blink Envy says:

    Yes George … Blink is no lib.

    Personally, I believe these predators should be put down when they first offend. Sex offenders just escalate their violence until they ultimately kill.

    Crimes against children are as sick as it gets. Could not agree with you more George.

    Although Blink I believe George is using the word “your” in the sense of libs, not specifically meaning you.

    RED

  39. Prevost1580 says:

    So the Pastor is a liberal.

  40. nerissa aspurias says:

    i just wanna give to condolenscence to the family i know that there daughter will be in good hands when she is in heave.i will pray for you guys in my hearts.

  41. George Pritchard says:

    Indeed, when I said “your liberal judges” I was not inferring to any specific person on this site or any other site. I was trying to make it clear to the people who do read these posts that, if they voted for democratic politicians, they contributed to the problem. Liberalism is truly killing our country’s founding culture, destroying American family values, and corrupting our children through brain-washing into tolerance anything and anyone different, regardless of their true intentions. If it feels good, do it. It’s our right! Well, with rights come duties…

    Honestly, had Hitler come into power in Germany during this Obama administration the free world would be doomed. I fear for our children – for exactly what this poor family is suffering. Too many freaks on the streets and you can directly thank the liberal politicos for what’s happened to our society. Have you read any GOOD news recently, not related to violence in our culture??

  42. B.,

    Thank you kindly for your response.
    When I later visited this site, I found my post.
    Exactly where it had been all along..
    No, unfortunately, I am not familiar with RSS.
    I’m actually an idiot savant.
    My computer skills are specifically geared towards the programs I’ve been taught to manipulate.
    I do apologize for believing it had been removed and submitting a subsequent post inquiring.

    Good luck with your writings, my friend.

    Sincerely
    Chris
    Lol Christen, I have two Bff’s like you. One works for Homeland Security, the other “intelligence” shall we say, and one called me the other day to ask how to set up their on line banking. We had a cackle on that one. If I run into a case where there’s a fit, I will e you most definately my friend.
    Blink

  43. amy says:

    I couldnt agree more with all of you. I say ONE and DONE. No second chances. This makes me so angry. How can this still go on? ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! Please consider visiting and signing petition on JAREDS LAW . COM. thanks and GOD BLESS THE CANTU FAMILY.

  44. nascarmom says:

    Melissa Chantel Huckaby has been arrested
    Twenty-eight-year-old Melissa Chantel Huckaby was arrested at 11:55 p.m. Friday on suspicion of kidnapping and killing 8-year-old Sandra Cantu.

  45. Kristi says:

    From a Criminal Justice major standpoint, I read all these posts and see that most of them point toward one type of person, SEX OFFENDER. I am in NO way defending this type of person, but without the evidence not one of can say that it was a sex offender who kidnapped this beautiful child. I truely understand that this seems to be the case in most situations, but LE can not solely focus on sex offenders because then they risk the chance of possibly missing the real criminal in this case. This is a perfect example, sad to say, that there are other criminals out there than sex offenders. I am curious to know what the motive was since it does not seem to be a sex offender and as of now LE is stating it is a female with no history of violence, just forgery.
    As many had stated in previous posts, it is true that every parent is responsible for watching their child and too often parents get comfortable in believing that their children are safe walking a few houses away to another house or walking home from the bus stop a few houses away. I truely feel sorry for the parents who avoidably lost their precious daughter. It hit home for me because I have an 8-year old daughter and realize the sickos that envade our world lurking daily for their next victim.
    My point is that the criminal we are looking for could be our neighbor, co-worker, or family member that we whole-heartedly trust, not just the people who are already in the system.

  46. mark says:

    this world has far too many lawyers, half of them should be trained as guards so a guard can stand outside every solitary confinement for child sex offenders, our children need to be guarenteed a happy childhood.
    i say 0 tolerance! either that or cut there pecker off;.
    if that costs too much welllets hasten methods to gods judgement.

    what an outrage, is this new in history? i mean did people 100 nyears ago do this? if not, what changed, is there any other way to stop this besides dealing out the most gruesome torture imaginable to make these animals think twice???? of course thats so politically incorrect, while everyone just sits idly tellin each other that we have to acknowledge to each other this sort of thing happens now…

  47. kellyann says:

    i feel really bad for her family she was just 8 years old ..rest in peace SANDRA CANTU ….you were to young to go …but stupid people choose to take peoples lives for no reason …its sucks ..no one ever feels safe anymore .My heart goes out to her family ….I think the killer should get the death bed because how in the world can a person rape and murder a little kid

  48. wth says:

    I don’t understand the notion of “liberal” judges or ideals being all the blame. There is TONS of blame to go around when it comes to why or how criminals are let out. It has nothing to do with politics. I think some people want an easy answer and someone to point the finger at. Get a clue. Our society has many faces.

    Sex offenders, killers,rapist are not all liberal or conservative. The statistics have it that most child abducters are white, middle aged males that tend to identify themselves as conservative politically. So are conservatives and white people to blame? No. That is just silly. Most sex offenders are victims themselves. I’m not saying that they have an excuse or should be let off. No way, but parenting has become almost an after thought these days. Parents have become lazy, complacent, materialistic, too busy, and hypocritical. Most of the people who go to church, proclaim the moral high road are the same ones looking at suspicious material at home on the net. Ie. this is not a liberal or conservative issue or problem.
    There are some offenders that a mentally ill. If they are poor then how do they get help? If they go to jail and get released what follow up do we have? I can tell you…none. We need to bring back state institutions. The revolving jail system should not be the avenue for mentally ill offenders who commit crimes. For those that are found guilty beyond a reason of a doubt, commit heinous crimes, and are deemed of sound mind should be put to death. I am liberal. So please stop blaming us for a messed up society. No liberal or conservative president can make a difference in what lies in the hearts and minds of humanity. Humans are become a scourge, just face it.

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