Tracy Playground Dedicated To Sandra Cantu

TRACY, Calif. -- A playground built in honor of a Tracy girl who disappeared and was found dead earlier this year was officially dedicated at her elementary school Friday.

Volunteers and donors constructed the playground at Jacobson Elementary School in memory of Sandra Cantu. The 8-year-old disappeared March 27 from inside Orchard Estates Mobile Home Park. Her body was found a little more than a week later in a San Joaquin County irrigation pond.

"It's been over four months since Sandra left us, but she is definitely in our hearts. I know I think about her every day," Principal Cindy Sasser said. "Many have worked together to donate this beautiful playground ... to Jacobsen Elementary in memory of Sandra."

"Sandra's exuberance and smile will live on in the hearts and minds of its visitors, and she will never be forgotten -- not at all," Tracy schools Superintendent Jim Franco said.

Cantu's relatives were among those who turned out for the dedication ceremony. Her two siblings and friends from school were the first to play on the new playground.