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When Sandra Cantu did not return home from play on the evening of March 27, 2009, her mother did not leave any stone unturned to look for her. However, it was all in vain.
A few days later, Cantu's lifeless body was found inside a suitcase. It was a clear case of homicide. Starting from Cantu's biological father to her neighbour, everyone was questioned, and it was getting really difficult for the investigators to zero down upon one particular suspect.
However, when the truth came out, everyone was taken aback. Sandra Cantu was not only murdered but also sexually assaulted. The perpetrator was her neighbor and school teacher, Melissa Huckaby.
Details of this gruesome murder mystery will be looked into in Investigation Discovery's latest series, See No Evil. The episode, titled "Someone You Trust," is slated to air on January 11 at 9 PM.
Here's the synopsis of the episode:
"In 2009 in Tracy, Calif., a little girl vanishes after playing at a friend's house, leaving her family desperate for answers; with no leads and few clues, investigators must rely on surveillance footage to piece together the horrifying truth."
Read on to find out 5 chilling facts about Sandra Cantu's murder
(5) Sandra was drugged and sexually assaulted
After days of investigation, Sandra Cantu's little body was found locked inside a suitcase. After running a medical investigation, it was revealed that Sandra was drugged and assaulted before being murdered.
Investigators questioned a couple of people to narrow down the suspect list, including a pedophile neighbor and Sandra's biological father. Still, later a teacher, who was also a neighbor, turned out to be the one who had committed the heinous crime.
(4) Cantu was seen skipping toward Melissa Huckaby's house
A surveillance camera installed outside Sandra's house turned out to be a great help in getting to the bottom of the case.
The camera caught footage of Sandra skipping toward Huckaby's house. Even though the investigators did not give the evidence much importance at first, it later became key evidence to indict Huckaby.
It has been said that Sandra may have gone to her house to play with Huckaby's daughter.
3) Huckaby's mental health was questionable
It was well-known in the neighborhood that Huckaby's mental health was questionable. Her neighbors complained that she oftentimes did a lot of strange things to get the attention of others.
Melissa Huckaby was charged with the murder of Cantu in April 2009.
(2) Huckaby ran a search on the internet about killing children prior to carrying out the actual murder
Upon further digging, the investigators found out that Huckaby had looked up on the internet how others had killed a child. Following this, the investigators concluded that the murder was premeditated.
Even after a string of evidence against Huckaby, she didn't plead guilty. She also went on to claim that she was playing hide and seek with Sandra, and Sandra had accidentally locked herself in a suitcase. Huckaby added that by the time she found out that Sandra Cantu was inside the suitcase, she had already died, and in a panic, Huckaby threw the suitcase in the pond.
(1) Huckaby's found a note that said something very strange about the case
Huckaby told the police that she had found a note that said:
"Cantu locked in suitcase. Thrown in water on Bacchetti Road and Whitehall Road."
Huckaby was also the person who texted Sandra Cantu's mother on the day the child disappeared, "Tell the police that I had something stolen today around 4 p.m. I don't know if that makes a difference or not".
