Apr 14, 2009 12:18 am US/Pacific
Manteca Woman Mistaken For Suspected Cantu Killer
MANTECA (CBS) ―
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A Manteca woman named Melissa Huckaby has received death threats because she shares the same name of a woman accused of murdering 8-year-old Sandra Cantu.
Tracy Police Department
The murder of Sandra Cantu has changed the life of a Manteca woman and her family. She's been getting death threats because her name is Melissa Huckaby.
This particular woman has been getting calls from national talk shows, threats on her MySpace page and when she went to church yesterday, fellow parishioners who are police officers even brought guns just in case she needed to be protected.
The Tracy woman accused of kidnapping and murdering eight-year-old Sandra Cantu shares a name with a Manteca woman, who is a mother of two and former Tracy resident herself.
"They hear the name and a lot of people think it's me," said Manteca resident, Melissa Huckaby.
Melissa's MySpace page has been confused for the accused killers, so she had to remove her page.
"I was getting hate mail," she said.
Even her yearbook photo from West High School has been mistaken.
Former co-workers of Melissa 'Lawless' Huckaby even "confirmed" that Melissa's photo from the yearbook was that of the suspected killer. They were wrong.
But even Melissa admits that the similarities are strange. They're both 28-years-old, Sunday school teachers, and at a quick glance resemble each other. Also, Melissa 'Lawless' Huckaby is accused of killing the eight-year-old playmate of her five-year-old daughter, and Melissa has two daughters who are eight-years-old and five-years-old.
Despite the similarities, while Melissa 'Lawless' Huckaby has theft on her record and is now accused of kidnapping and murder, Melissa said she's never even had a speeding ticket.
The Manteca Huckaby's say they're afraid to send condolences to the Cantu family because of the name confusion. Melissa said there are no words to describe just how horrible it feels to be linked to and persecuted for such a crime – one that she had absolutely no connection to.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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