CBS news is reporting that police in Tracy believe that 8-year old Sandra Cantu was killed at the church where her accused killer was a Sunday school teacher. Police said they do not know what motivated the suspect they arrested on suspicion of kidnapping and killing Cantu whose body was found in a suitcase dumped in an irrigation pond.
Melissa Huckaby, 28, was arrested at 11:55 p.m. Friday, about five hours after she drove herself to the local police station at the request of officers for questioning, said police Sgt. Tony Sheneman.
"She gave enough information to us during the course of the interview that probable cause was there to arrest her," said Sheneman. No other arrests were made.
Sheneman said she was calm at the beginning of the questioning, then turned emotional and by end he said she was "resigned."
Huckaby is a granddaughter of Pastor Clifford Lawless, whose Clover Road Baptist Church was the subject of a police search. Huckaby taught Sunday school at the church.
Police said they now believe that Cantu was already dead by the time she was reported missing. Police would not reveal how the little girl was killed or whether it was an accident or on purpose. Sheneman said it is unusual for a child's murder suspect to be a woman.
Huckaby is on suicide watch at the San Joaquin County Jail, and is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday, according to the county sheriff's website.
Local
Sandra disappeared on March 27 and hundreds of volunteers and law enforcement officials turned out to search for her. Police said they received 1,500 tips in the hunt for Sandra.
Huckaby told NBC Bay Area reporter Jodi Hernandez Friday that a Eddie Bauer black and gray suitcase had been stolen from her driveway the day Sandra disappeared. She said it was filled with scrap booking supplies. She also said that she found a note near the Cantu home the night after the child's disappearance that had the words, "Cantu," "water," and "suitcase" along with the name of the street where Sandra's body was found.
Police confirmed Saturday the suitcase the child's body was found in is Huckaby's.
Without going into specifics, Sheneman told The Associated Press that The Tracy Press' published interviews with Huckaby revealed inconsistencies that prompted further inquiries from investigators.
Sandra's aunt, Angie Chavez, said the girl's mother, Maria Chavez, is devastated.
"It's not over. This is just the beginning of a horrible nightmare," Angie Chavez said of the arrest as she stood at the entrance to the mobile home park where Sandra lived with her mother.
Angie Chavez' husband, Joe Chavez, said Huckaby should face the death penalty.
"You eye everybody with a great deal of suspicion. We're shell-shocked here," Joe Chavez said. "Who can you trust at this point? Who do you know?"
On April 6, farm workers draining an irrigation pond found the suitcase. The child's body was inside. They have refused to accept any reward money, according to police.
During an early morning news conference, Tracy Police Chief Janet Thiessen said investigators worked the case tirelessly in the hopes of finding Sandra.
Huckaby had previously told The Tracy Press that Sandra visited her home on the day of her disappearance to play with her 5-year-old daughter. But Huckaby said she'd turned Sandra away because her daughter needed to pick up her toys and Sandra went to another friend's home.
The Tracy Press also reported that Huckaby was released Thursday from Sutter Tracy Community Hospital, where she spent several days in intensive care for what she described as "internal bleeding."
Huckaby's family had been questioned at length during the investigation, and their home and vehicles had been searched, Sheneman said.
Huckaby was already scheduled to appear in court on April 17 to check in with a county mental health program as part of a three-year probation sentence for a petty theft charge to which she pleaded no contest.
In an interview with the newspaper on Friday, Huckaby said someone else by the same name was facing charges for the attempted November theft from Target.
A Tracy church is opening its doors to the public so they have a place to mourn Sandra Cantu.
Fry Memorial Chapel will be open through Monday
550 South Central Avenue
Tracy, CA
Hours: 10-4 on Sunday and Monday
Public Funeral Sandra Cantu is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.
Merrill F. West High School
1775 West Lowell Avenue, Tracy
