Sandra Renee Cantu

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.