Apr 7, 2009 12:32 am US/Pacific
8-Year-Old Tracy Girl Found Dead In Pond
TRACY (CBS 5 / AP) ―
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8-year-old Sandra Cantu's remains were found inside a sealed container discovered in an irrigation pond Monday.
The remains of a missing Tracy girl were found Monday in a suitcase recovered from a pond a couple of miles from where she was last seen more than a week ago, authorities confirmed.
Farmworkers draining the irrigation pond found the suitcase containing Sandra Cantu's body, Tracy Police Chief Janet Thiessen said at an evening news conference.
Thiessen said the 8-year-old was wearing the same clothes she wore when last seen on March 27: a pink "Hello Kitty" T-shirt and black leggings.
Authorities planned an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
"Our heartfelt sympathies go to Sandra's family and friends," she said. "We will determine the person or persons responsible for this reprehensible act, and we will bring them to justice."
Sandra's disappearance sparked a massive search effort around Tracy, in San Joaquin County, that included hundreds of volunteers and law enforcement officials, including the FBI, and more than 1,000 tips.
Tracy Police Sgt. Tony Sheneman said the container was found around 11:40 a.m. by farm workers in an irrigation pond located near Tracy Blvd. and Bacchetti Rd – a pond that searchers had already covered. The workers spotted the container while they were emptying the pond to irrigate a nearby field.
Before the evening's dramatic announcement, investigators cordoned off the area surrounding the pond for hours and combed it for clues, as television trucks and reporters gathered in the flat farmland nearby.
Police had been to the pond earlier in their search efforts, but it was full of water, Sheneman said.
"This is an unimaginable loss for any parent," he said.
Police called an end to large-scale ground operations in the search for Cantu. About 300 volunteers and law enforcement officers fanned out across an area of open fields Saturday.
Over the weekend, Sandra's mother said she thought Sandra did not run away. "I think somebody took her. She wouldn't walk off. She wouldn't leave the mobile home park at all. I think somebody has her," Maria Chavez said.
Police received more than 1,000 tips since the little girl was last seen on March 27. The reward for information in the case is close to $30,000.
Over the weekend, police released video surveillance footage showing her skipping along a neighborhood street the same day she disappeared.
Dozens of mourners—some holding candles, others wiping away tears—gathered outside the mobile home park where Sandra's family lives and she was last seen, as police blocked the entrance.
"I am still in shock," said Brandy Robles, 27, who held her 2-year-old son. "You see this in the movies. I never thought it would be real life—real to me."
(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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