Sandra Cantu Investigation: Suitcase Reported Stolen By Church Member
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Tracy, CA- Blink on Crime has confirmed there is a solid link to the Clover Baptist Church and the black suitcase Sandra Cantu was found in Monday afternoon. According to a member of the Clover Baptist Church, Fred Williams, a female congregation member reported the bag stolen the day Sandra was last seen:
“There’s not one member there that would have anything to do with anything like that kind of situation,” Williams said. “More people should come to church and hang out with him because they would find out what a fun loving kind of guy that he is,” Williams said.
“That suitcase was to go to the church for a rummage sale with some stuff in it and the person put it somewhere, either in the back of a car somewhere. But anyway, when she came back out the suitcase was gone,” Williams said.
Williams said that the mysterious rolling black suitcase Cantu was found in, was reported stolen to Tracy Police Department. Not True.
Who Had The Luggage?
There is only one report filed in the early morning hours of March 28th, less than 12 hours after police launched the search for Sandra Cantu, reporting a theft from a vehicle. It is a purse theft from a car without a break-in.
I’ll save you the trouble- Who reports a stolen piece of luggage slated for an impromptu rummage sale which just happens to end up entombing an 8 year old child in the bottom of an irrigation pond?
According to Mr. Williams, there is “stuff in it”, but Sgt. Tony Sheneman has stated several times that there was nothing found on or in the bag to identify Pastor Lawless or the Clover Baptist Church. If that is accurate, one can only assume that the tie-in to the church is from the woman that allegedly reported the suitcase stolen.
If there is no report, Mr. Williams would seem to know something none of us would have , until he told us.
The purse theft occurred at a location directly across the street from Mr. Williams residence.
Fred L Williams, self proclaimed member of the Clover Baptist Church and his wife, Anita M, have an extensive criminal history which includes suspended drivers licenses, drug posession, and worse. I am not listing them specifically as it has not been determined to be relevant to Sandra’s disappearance. They appear to have previous addresses in Oakland and Oakdale as well. 
It is however, safe to say, that Williams statements directly contradict those of Lt. Sheneman regarding the reporting from anyone regarding stolen luggage. It is not known at this writing if Mr. Williams has been interviewed by Investigators.
Let’s say for the purpose of this discussion, we allow the possibility that the ”theft from vehicle” report, although it does not specifically identify luggage, is in some way an attempted cover up. This is what the map would reflect:
Upon further research, BlinkonCrime has uncovered a theft report incident PRIOR to Sandra’s disappearance, but occuring the morning of the day she went missing. It is within a block of the ”theft from vehicle” report I reference above; again very close to Mr. Williams residence.
I was able to confirm through the Tracy Police Department this afternoon that neither report, nor any other, specify luggage was stolen from a vehicle or anywhere else. There is little doubt however, that the answer to the question “Where did the luggage come from?” is a critical key to bringing Sandra Cantu’s killer or killers to justice.
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MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY. Who reports an item stolen that is destined for a freaking rummage/garage sale???? NO ONE! The question is how and why did this guy come by this information? Did he just piece together misc. info from his armchair(like the rest of us)and decide to be the Great Defender of Clover Road Baptist Church? Or is he involved? I love this site. At first I was skeptical but you are backing everything up with facts. Keep up the good work investigative journalist of one!
lol Meregoddess, thanks. Something is off here. I do want to say to everyone, I really do have complete confidence LE is working this case to secure a conviction, and belive there will be multiple arrests on more than Sandras’ case.
B
Good work Blink!
OK, now that a felon has stated that Pastor Lawless is a fun loving kind of guy, we can confidently clear him as a suspect.
For those that do not know my dear friend Annals, that was snark at it’s finest
B
Wow — you do a great job of finding the information and backing it up – Thank You
You are doing a great job Blink! I can’t imagine the pain and heartbreak that the Cantus are going through at this time. It is
so very sad. The monster who murdered this precious child ust be
caught soon, or he will strick again…somewhere. I have bad vibes
about Fred Willims…hope I’m wrong.
strike …
lol, Fel. Thank you. I will consider it so when Sandra’s killers are brought to justice.
Yes, I said K I L L E R S… B
Blink,
Thanks for the update and all your hardwork–i also believe that this will be solved-i pray that it will–there seems to be evil in tracy that needs to be eradicated for the sake of our children.
Blink, Grace is so far behind your reporting. On her show the police said no theft report on suitcase. It seems her show is busy trying to knock down what you report?
Uhoh. Greg did somebody not read the article? Lol, teasing. However, that is correct there is NO report of theft of a suitcase specifically. That’s the point. Either this guy is flat out lying for his own reasons or there is some attempt on someone’s part to tie a non-specific police report into the luggage.
The latter makes sense to me because think about it.. If you call and report luggage stolen at the time of her disappearance, what will LE be looking for ?? EXACTLY. They would have sent out the internal APB for luggage in a waterway or standing body, that is protocol. I am not thrilled that they did not issue an immediate amber alert as a matter of precedent for future cases. However for dear Sandra, I think it was all over for her by the time they reported her missing, sadly.
Blink,
When I watch the video of Sandra leaving home, I see her stop skipping and pause. She brushes her hair behind her ear on her right side (self-conscious movement) and walks purposefullly in the middle of the street. She then glances right once or twice. I am wondering 1) how far is the Williams home from hers? 2) Where is the pastor’s house located? 3) Where does the karate teacher live?
Do we know anything about her neighbor directly to the left of her house, and the one, two houses down?
Word, there are those maps in different articles regarding Sandra’s case on the site. Williams is not within walking distance for her, imo
Your map is wonderfully helpful. Would you be willing to put those other addresses on it–just as reference points? Thanks!
Good work Blink.
Glad I didn’t rush to judgement on the pastor as so many did. I’m further convinced now his distressed demeanor is due to the fact it appears someone from his own church is guilty of a terrible crime.
I know many criminals get a real sense of power if they think they can manipulate or be very, close to the investigation into their own crime (take Casey Anthony as one example). If this guy is talking openly about a suitcase directly tied to this murder, he’s our guy. I have strong speculation. As for there being “2″ possibly responsible…let’s say this guy’s wife probably knew and covered. Both will go down I hope if my suspicions…and those of Blink are correct.
Alot of folks are gonna owe that pastor an apology for accussing him I bet when the truth comes out.
Brenda- we agree that Williams needs to be checked out. I am confident I am seeing some strange associations that I did not include in the piece, however, I am not ready to conclude he (Pastor) is not involved in some way. I am positive there is more than one perp involved here.
Luggage is the answer, without a doubt.
I knew that Pastor was innocent! Thanks for this article B!
I love this site! I have been sending the link to all my friends.
Can you let us know whose trailor that was that Sandra stopped skipping in front of and brushed her hair back?
I would really like to know that…out of curiosity.
Thanks for being here!!!!
Linda
Linda, not sure if you saw my above comment, I am not absolving the Pastor, I am presenting concrete evidence the luggage is tied to the church he is a Pastor of and one or two of his members.. Slayter lived at #61, not clear if he still had access, but my guess would be no as it has not been searched, unlike his current residence #43. Pastor is at #57
B
This Williams person might have opened his mouth then inserting his foot. Who in their right mind reports a suitcase destined for a rummage sale at a church? Kinda like calling the cops when your paper is stolen. He is either lieing like a rug or he wants his 15 min of fame. With his extensive criminal record one woudl think he’d shut the heck up. He apparently isn’t all that bright.Just how stupid is this guy for coming forward telling the world about a suitcase that (who) reported missing with “STUFF” in it….? Was it his own suitcase? “WHAT STUFF”? From all that has happened in the trailer parks lately with missing kids, maybe its time they do a background check on people, before they move in. Something has been very wrong from the start of this chld missing. This whole thing is just sad. The key might be Williams….or just someone looking for media attention. Well Williams got coverage…Maybe he is feeling guilty..Who knows. Again Blink, you do one heck of a job. Nancy Grace has been too busy trying the Anthony case in the media. With all the coverage she is doing, she might just manage to screw that case up and murder mom walk free…..night after night…holy crap! Had to stop watching her…you shuld have your owen show Blink….You have the info and connections…..Keep us updated….;)
Just wanted to point out that the rumor mill in most churches moves faster than greased lightning. This may explain why Williams knew of the suitcase theft and contents. I do find it odd that he climbed the tallest tree and proclaimed the pastors innocence without knowing anything about evidence, alibis, etc. It is hard to truly know another persons heart.
I am patiently waiting for your thoughts about multi-offenders involved in harming this little.
The new Nancy Grace? Ha. You would have to grow a huge meanstreak, dumb yourself down, and be willing to always act as if you had no home training. Rumor has it you are quite a bit more attractive than NG and about three fourths her age. You would also have to gain some weight. As always, edit as needed.
Pie, hot dogs, and milkshakes,
lol Red, I would not dream of depriving my readers by editing you…. Blink
Blink,
I have to admit that I am addicted to your website. It’s one thing to report something, but it’s another thing to back up the information with real facts. I check your website several times a day for any new updates. Keep up the great work!!
At this point, I’m not sure who is involved in this precious little girl’s murder, but I do hope this person or persons involved is caught, and convicted very soon!! I live thousands of miles away from CA, but I do have two beautiful daughters, one is the same age as Sandra, and it terrifies me to think this could happen anywhere, and does, even in the state I live in.
The Cantu’s are in my thoughts and prayers every day. I can’t imagine (nor do I want to), ever find out what they are going through, it’s a parents worst nightmare!!! Sandra was such a beautiful little girl, and my deepest sympathy goes out to her family. Rest in Peace little Angel!!!
Blink,
I didn’t know where to ask you this question so delete it and E-Mail me the answer if you know it please…Could you find out or do you know who’s Piano Arrangement that is on The Beautiful Video Tribute to little Sandra Cantu….its just beautiful and I would like to know if possible…Thank You.I read here daily, you do a terrific job BLINK…I report your findings on a Voy Forum I’m on…we’ve been around for years…just a small group and I hope its OK to post what you say…I give a link to your website and give you the credit…
Snippy, thank you and that’s fine if your providing attribution-
I do not know, but I am posting your comment in full in case someone else does. Honestly, I cant bring myself to watch it again, once was all I could take..
B
Speaking about the suitcase the police found, Fred Williams stated, “That suitcase was to go to the church for a rummage sale with some stuff in it and the person put it somewhere, either in the back of a car somewhere. But anyway, when she came back out the suitcase was gone,”
So I have a question … the suitcase found at the crime scene could have come from a million different places and no one, not the the police, not the POIs, no one ever said that suitcase was associated with the church, so why did Williams say the suitcase found at the crime scene was the “stolen” one?
Great question, because apparently he needed to address “why” it is associated with the church because police converged on the Pastor’s home and Church, which btw Williams has keys to, we watched him open it up last night..
B
Blink- were the items stolen from the vehicle recovered? Has anyone questioned the person who’s items were stolen out of their vehicle? It would be interesting to know if any of those items were found around the area where little Sandra’s body was found.
Ha! I just find it funny that in Caylee’s case we looked for one friend to come forward and proclaim Caseys innocence. In this case one friend comes forward to proclaim the Pastors innocence and he gets nailed for doing it….just an observation.
If your referring to Williams, Williams is getting nailed because he is lying. Why?
Hi Blink,
I was re-reading everything again and I caught you put Killers…
so you think two?? Why? A hunch?
I was watching some of Nancy Grace last night and she was asking
if her whole body fit in the suitcase. I thought that was kind of sick
to ask…but I guess people want to know the details.
Its just so sad. I can’t get it out of my head.
Linda
Blink, thank you for your quick response and your great site.
How does Williams know the suitcase at the crime scene was associated with the church? Did the police tell him why they were searching the church grounds? They could have been looking for a shovel, or a shoe, or DNA evidence. Did Williams identify the crime suitcase from (fuzzy) pictures on the news? Sometimes I grab the wrong suitcase on an airport carousel and I’m standing three feet away. Williams didn’t say the suitcase looks like the one stolen a week ago, he said it was the same one.
I suppose my question put another way is: How does Williams know its the same one?
‘XACTLY
Blink, my goodness you are incredible!! Keep up the great work!
Char
thanks for your good and ethical work, Blink
Take care.
I might be mistaken, but I don’t think Fred Williams said the theft was reported to POLICE, just that it was reported. He could have meant reported to the pastor, or reported to neighbors, etc. Is anyone sure he said reported to POLICE?
I too now visit several times a day. It is just inconceivable to me that someone would harm a lovely child like Sandra Cantu. Time for some legal changes. Also, it is hard to understand why Williams would inject himself into this story. Hope we find out soon, the unsolved ones are heartwrenching. Thank you.
Blink your not making any sense. First you say William’s comments establish a link between the suitcase and the church; then you proceed to deystroy William’s credibility and conclude he is lying! So which is it? Is he lying and thus there is no connection between the suitcase and the church/pastor, or he is telling the truth and there is a link. Also, don’t you think with his physical infirmnaties the Pastor would be incapable of dragging an (Aprox.) 85 lbs item out into a pond? Also he is in his seventies with no prior crimminal record; so your saying he chooses now to act on his “evil” side? Your website is basically a speculation blog. This is not investigative journalism or deep analyzation of the facts. Yesterday you made a big deal about the Pastor’s wife’s use of the word abused, and you went on to speculate that it must mean she was invovled. Its perfectly reasonable to assume this poor child was abducted and killed in furtherence of some terrible act of sexual abuse. And yet you say this reasonable assumption is evidence of guit. You are not a very skilled thinker are you?
Dan-Your opinion is noted, thanks. It would seem that you are the one having difficulty either analyzing or comprehending facts. Let me help:
1) Williams comments link him and the luggage to the church AND he is lying. He is lying about the fact that the luggage was reported stolen, as I clearly outlined in the piece. He is lying about the rummage sale taking place at the church. Er Go he boned his own credibility and that does not even address the criminal past. Do your homework before you come to my house and slop mud in the foyer, k?
2) I have N E V E R commented on what I think the Pastor’s physical abilities are or are not, nor will I, inappropriate- I have never met him. I have also never said if he has a criminal past or not, or speculated on his mental accuities or lack therof.
3) I found the wife’s choice of wording suspect, never speculated about her involvement and it’s ridiculous for you to suggest same. There are several comments on here that did not agree with the fact that “means something”, I am cool with that. Would your opinion change if it comes out she is the alleged luggage loser??
4) Lastly, Iv’e never written half the stuff your throwing out there and as to whether or not I am a skilled thinker is entirely an opinion for readers to decide. I will tell you this little tid bit- You haven’t seen this information presented anywhere else, try some googlin’ this afternoon. Wanna know how I know when I am on to something? I get comments like this from people like you that end up being under the same rock as the one we just turned over.
Best-
Blink
Do you have any information regarding the “note”? Just wanted to know your take on that one.
I am loving your site it has a lot of good information. Thanks!
. The handyman from the mobile home park was questioned, his comment was regarding the pastor. (The pastor is not a friendly person) he stated that in the times he had encounters with the pastor, he found him to be unfriendly. Regarding his involvement, there is great speculation. At this time everyone is suspect but mostly at present Mr. Williams was the owner of the luggage. The weird thing is that the luggage belonged to Mr . williams.
April 9, 2009
ONLY ON FOX40: Man Says He Knows Who Killed Sandra Cantu
TRACY – Johnny Williams is sure he know who killed Sandra Cantu.
Williams drove from Oakland Sunday afternoon to hand-deliver his lead to Tracy police during an afternoon press conference. Afterward, he told media that he believes he saw Sandra with a man on a boat the week prior.
http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct2=us%2F0_0_s_0_0_t&usg=AFQjCNEsGoO1_Xk7fWVJu0vzFKdd6vvXEg&sig2=TiNXkZogPO8Dk0YyCWoxcQ&cid=1327897424&ei=V0feSYj_NoyHmQfD-I88&rt=SEARCH&vm=STANDARD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fox40.com%2Fpages%2Flanding_sandra_cantu%2F%3FONLY-ON-FOX40-Man-Says-He-Knows-Who-Kill%3D1%26blockID%3D262627%26feedID%3D2674
Blink…What do you know about the ownership of the SUV that was searched. I heard that it belonged to the pastor’s daughter but also heard it belonged to the granddaughter. I also heard that the suitcase had been unloaded from this SUV when it was stolen. I’d also like to mention that on another site, can’t recall which one since I have read so many…a Tracy local posted that she had once lived in that trailer park and had gone back to talk to her former neighbors and was told that the Pastor’s daughter was dating Chris Sinclair. Maybe you can dig up some info on this?
http://www.fox40.com/pages/landing_sandra_cantu/?ONLY-ON-FOX40-Man-Says-He-Knows-Who-Kill=1&blockID=262627&feedID=2674
is this williams?
Gracias
Johhny Williams yes. Fred Williams no.
De nada, Muchacho
B
“FOX40 News won’t show the man Williams accuses of murdering Sandra Cantu; however, Williams describes the man as being “heavyset with a thick moustache.”
I wonder if anyone else noticed that Fred Williams, the man who reported that a suitcase was missing from the Church rummage sale, also had a KEY TO THE CHURCH> He was the one who locked up the church after the search.
we have Indy.. Good observation
link to the church
http://svng.com/tracy/
TonyO good post…why have the police not talked to this guy yet?
did notice Fred Williams had a key to the church and is also “heavyset with a thick moustache” from Johnny Williams article posted above by TonyO.
Form what came across here at this site it sounded like the police did follow up on Johnny’s tip just searched the wrong place. Maybe I ddidn’t understand it correctly
http://blinkoncrime.com/2009/04/06/sandra-cantu-case-is-poi-headed-for-suspect/
this is the info I was referring to. Maybe this search was before the tip from Johnny Williams
Blink, I read on one of the posts,that there was a note.
I must have missed it. what note?
Thanks, Char
I believe this is the main link to the church…
http://www.clover-road-baptist-church.com/
Wow! Is Johnny Williams referring to Fred Williams as the person he saw?
“Investigators reportedly have returned to the mobile home park where a murdered 8-year-old California girl lived after a note was found there that reads: “From Sandra, to my killer.”
The message written on an envelope was discovered Thursday near a tree on the trailer park’s grounds, KTXL.com reported. There was no word on whether it said anything else.”
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,513775,00.html
This is one of the sites talking about the note.
Johnny Williams said it was a heavy set man with a mustache that was on the boat? Hmmm, Fred Williams is a heavy set man with a mustache. Interesting. I live in Tracy and have been following this story from day 1. Johnny Williams contacted the police the day he saw Sandra on the boat but said the lead was not followed up on by Tracy PD. He then came out to Tracy on Sunday, to the press conference, to ask them in front of the cameras how long it takes them to follow up on a lead. At that point they took him aside and listened to what he had to say. If i am not mistaken, Fred Williams was not seen on TV until after the body was found so J. Williams would not be picking some random guy out the the crowd. I think this guy knows what he is talking about. My heart aches for Sandra’s mom.
Blink, you are my hero and I love your reporting. Allow me to play devils advocate just for a moment.
Let’s say the Pastor and Williams talk to each other, may be they are buddies (after all, he has a key to the church). The pastor is frustrated because police and media are putting him on the spot. Pastor tells Williams that the police were asking him about a specific suitcase during the last interview – may be there were pictures, or detailed descriptions. The Pastor remembers, yes, someone dropped a suitcase “like that” off with stuff in it for rummage sale, but the suitcase then disappeared. So now, the pastor assumes – no, he is very sure – that this is the same suitcase that Sandra was found in. Williams, listening to the Pastor’s story, now assumes the same. Williams, sticking up for his pastor buddy now defends him publicly and talks about the suitcase as if it were in fact the same one. In this scenario, Williams would also say that the whole thing had been reported – which means, the Pastor mentioned the suitcase to the police. In other words, while all this does seem a bit odd, it still doesn’t directly associate these people with Sandra’s death. So, one has to be careful to make that assumption.
The suitcase will no doubt be a big piece of evidence.
On another thought, I keep remembering that some of the last things Sandra spoke of on the day she disappeared was “are we going to church tomorrow”. It was Friday, and her thoughts were about going to Church. Was it because of the 5-year old granddaughter of the pastor who she liked to play with? Or were there other adult people who were engaging with her that made her think of Church?
Also, I remember that when they first reported finding a black suitcase, someone reported that a red ribbon or bow had been tied around it. I have not seen this comment since. Does anyone recall that? It would be telling as it would mean the killer(s) had remorse and liked Sandra.
I am not sure about this Johnny Williams guy. How does he know Sandra? And what was he doing when he saw them in a boat? This is getting weird as some people may just want to get into the story or something.
Same with the “note” they found: Sheneman said police on Thursday took an unusual envelope from the shrine.
“On the exterior of the envelope, it said, ‘From Sandra, To My Killer’,” Sheneman added. “We collected that. We have no indication that it’s connected with the investigation, but we will take a look at it.”
Blink I should have phrased my comments correctly. Nancy Grace is 24- 72 hrs behind your reporting. The police stated the judge put a gag order on the search warrants and the case. My opinion is your reporting is helping the police.
Greg, your good with me friend. Keep in mind, I N E V E R scoop Le. What I mean by that is, if you read it here and feel it is a *bombshell* to the case, I promise if it is, LE has it first. I am about serving justice to a victim, not being first, thanks for noticing
B
Thanks for clearing up that part about the note, how sad!
Maybe I`m being very naive here, but maybe Sandra`s death was an accident. Accidents happen!
What are your thoughts?
Char
It was said that the luggage was reported as being stolen. That doesn’t necessarily mean it was a police report. It could simply have been reported to the church or someone else.
Doc
Accident victims are not found in suitcases.
OMG! I’m convinced Fred Williams is guilty. They should tap into his home and put camera ( without him knowing) in his home (every room) and I bet he will be talking about it to his wife. If she doesn’t know at least they can observe his behavior and interest in the case and find he is guilty. I watched the today show that aired 4-9-09. They briefly show him letting the Pastor (Lawless) in.. as he lets him in he looks around before following Lawless into the chruch. 1. why are they in there? 2. They both might be involved.3. He made a statement and which said ” There just doing there thing” in his mind he’s doesnt’ want people to focus on the church. He aslo states that he hopes they find the people who did it Also he says,” hopefull they find the person who did it. ” Guilty again. How does he know it was one person? Why didn’t he say hopefully they find whoever did this? I I was molested as a kid and I never told anyone. I believe he had an ongoing relationship with Sandra. He probanly many times before but this time had to kill her because her mother reported her missing and he probably couldn’t find a good time to set her free. This probably always took place at the church. Sandra was skipping and stopped becuase she probably saw him and knew he was going to fondle her again. See she’s too young to understand it’s wrong for him to do it. At the same time she probably ashamed and doesn’t want anyone to know. It just all makes sense and it explans why she looked back as to look for someone to protect her. Don’t know but they should ask her mother if she had started her period. That’s a clue too. It sounds crazy but it’s probably true.