CrimeWatch

TRACY (CBS 5 / AP) ― The family of an 8-year-old Tracy girl whose body was found stuffed in a suitcase in an irrigation pond said Wednesday that the news of her death has been "hell."

Near a makeshift memorial outside the Orchard Estates Mobile Home Park where they live, Sandra Cantu's family said they were staying in their home with the television off, receiving information from police.
 
"There's a monster out there," proclaimed Jose Chavez, the girl's grandfather. "He's got to be apprehended; he's got to be put away."

Sandra's uncle, Joe Chavez, called the death "ridiculous, absurd and grotesque," adding, "It's complete innocence taken for absolutely no reason."

Joe Chavez said when police told them on Monday that Sandra had been killed, he heard screams that he'd "never heard come out of human beings before." Sandra's Aunt Angie said the family has been "going through hell."

The family wouldn't speculate on who might have killed their ganddaughter and niece.
 
Joe Chavez said the mobile home park has always been tight-knit and the family's been overwhelmed by the community's support.

Meantime, the autopsy of the girl was completed Wednesday, but officials said that the results may not be available for up to eight weeks. They also declined to discuss any preliminary findings.

San Joaquin County coroner's office spokesman Les Garcia said toxicology and tissue samples were sent to a pathologist for analysis to help determine the official cause of death. 

Tracy police have served more than 15 search warrants in their attempt to hunt down whoever killed the girl, but said that they "don't want to rush to judgment" and were not focused on any one person.
 
At a news conference on Wednesday, Sgt. Tony Sheneman indicated that police were "looking at a lot of people," but so far had no suspects in Sanra Cantu's disappearance and death.

Sheneman said everyone questioned had been cooperative, but he declined to give many details about who was questioned and why, and what was seized during searches of a local church and at the mobile home park.

"We feel a great deal of pressure. We want to find who is responsible for this," Sheneman said. "We don't want to rush to judgment and we don't want people tried in the press." 

Sandra Cantu was last seen March 27, when she was caught on a surveillance video skipping down a street near her home at the mobile home park. A massive search ended Monday when farmworkers discovered her body stuffed in a suitcase that was dumped into an irrigation pond near Tracy Blvd. and Bacchetti Rd., only a few miles from her home.

There has been an outpouring of grief from the community and residents set up the makeshift memorial outside the mobile home complex with balloons, stuffed animals, cards and flowers. Passersby have paused to pray, cry and drop off items.

Mike Mallory, 40, who said he had lived in Tracy his whole life, visited the spot for a Tuesday night vigil with his girlfriend and her niece. The event drew hundreds of people.

"I wanted to show my support for a little girl who's gone but will never be forgotten," he said.

Sheneman said Wednesday that police had been in touch with Sandra's family throughout the investigation.

"The family is devastated. They want us to concentrate on finding the people who are responsible for this and are optimistic we will do so. But that won't help in relieving their devastation," he said.

On Tuesday night, investigators searched the Clover Road Baptist Church about a half-mile from the mobile home park. Sheneman would not say what was taken from the site. Investigators also interviewed the pastor, Lane Lawless, who lives in the same complex as Sandra's family.

The pastor's wife, Connie Lawless, told reporters the couple had nothing to do with Sandra's abduction and killing, and law enforcement was interested in them because they lived near her and she played with their great-grandchild.

The sergeant had noted previously that police found no link between Lawless and the suitcase.

Sheneman said upward of 100 law enforcement are involved in the case, including more than two dozen Tracy police officers, officials from the Department of Justice, FBI, California Highway Patrol and the San Joaquin County District Attorney's office.

At the makeshift memorial on Wednesday, Candice Vega, who identified herself as a cousin of Sandra's family, emerged from the mobile home complex to take pictures of the items left in tribute to the little girl. She said the family appreciated the outpouring of support and was focused on the search for the killer.

"They'd better find who did this," Vega said. "They don't have a choice."

(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)