Melissa Huckaby (Who killed Sandra Renee Cantu)

Sandra Renee Cantu (March 8, 2001 – March 27, 2009) was an American girl who attracted national attention at the age of eight after she disappeared from Tracy, California, on March 27, 2009.

Her body was discovered ten days later inside a suitcase in a local irrigation pond.

 On April 10, police arrested a local woman, 28-year-old Melissa Huckaby (born February 23, 1981), and charged her with the kidnapping, rape, and murder of Cantu.

Huckaby pleaded guilty to the kidnapping and murder of Cantu and was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole in 2010.


Disappearance and body discovery 💔


Sandra Renee Cantu, eight at the time of her death, lived at Orchard Estates Mobile Home Park in Tracy, California, with her mother, grandparents and three older siblings.

 She was a second grade student at Melville S. Jacobson Elementary School. 

On Friday, March 27, 2009, Cantu played at a friend's house after school until approximately 4:00 p.m.

when she returned home. She later left home saying that she was going to play at another friend's house.

When she did not return for dinner, she was reported missing to the local police at 7:53 p.m.


Police collected footage recorded by a surveillance camera near the family home.

The footage, which showed Cantu crossing the street in front of her home before moving out of frame, was played on national news stations.

A search of the mobile home complex was conducted without results and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)...