Women Charged in Slaying, Rape of Girl

In Stockton, California authorities are looking for more evidence against a 28 year old Sunday school teacher who was tearfully arraigned on charges she kidnapped, raped and murdered an 8 year old girl.

Sandra Cantu disappeared March 27, and was last seen on a surveillance camera skipping outside the Orchard Estates Mobile Home Park. A 10 day search by law enforcement and the community ended on April 6, when farm workers drained an irrigation pond a few miles away from the mobile home complex found the suitcase containing Sandra’s body. The police said that Sandra was found wearing the same clothes she had on when she was last seen. They have not said why or how she was killed the coroner’s office has said autopsy results are pending.

The case has baffled some criminologists, for one thing, few child molesters are women; for another, cases involving both murder and molestation are rare. “The vast majority of child molesters do not abduct and kill there victims,” Kenneth V. Lanning told ABC. Kenneth Lanning is a retired 30 year old veteran of the FBI and police consultant on crimes against children.

Melissa Huckaby has been ordered to return to court on April 24, when she is expected to enter a plea. She is charged with one count of murder with special circumstances of rape with a foreign object, lewd or lascivious conduct with a child under 14 and murder in the course of a kidnapping.

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