Investigators Keep Lid On Cantu Murder Case

TRACY, Calif. -- While Tracy investigators toiled away behind the scenes in their quest to find the killer of eight-year-old Sandra Cantu, local residents Friday began to pay their respects to the young girl.

The family of the slain girl has set up a public memorial to her at Tracy’s Fry Memorial Chapel. Starting Friday morning, local residents had the opportunity to visit the facility and leave their condolences and written thoughts about the young girl.

Meanwhile, police Sgt. Tony Sheneman told KTVU that his department is feeling the pressure for an arrest, but that the media attention given to the case was amplifying any action the department takes.

“First of all, there are a lot of things that go on in an investigation that we do not want the public to hear because part of the public would be some of the suspects,” he said. “We do not want them to know what we are doing. We don’t want whoever it is to be tried on television. We want them to receive a fair trial in court. We want them to receive the punishment they deserve there.”

Meanwhile, police interviewed more people Thursday as investigators sorted and prioritized more than 1,400 tips.

"Since the discovery of Sandra's body in the collection pond, several of those tips have been classified as high priority and have been assigned and looked into daily," Sheneman said.

It is two weeks since Cantu disappeared from a Tracy mobile home park and five days since her body was discovered inside a black suitcase in an irrigation pond.

Police say they're still waiting for the results of the autopsy. But even when the results are known, police say it's unlikely they will release how and when the second grader died until the investigation is completed.

"The direction of our investigation is headed in the right way. We are still looking forward to a conclusion, but I can't give you a time," said Sheneman.

Police say they are dealing with hundreds of bits of useful and not-so-useful information, including a note left sometime between 4 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. Thursday morning outside the mobile home park where Sandra lived.

Sheneman said, "There was an envelope that was found where the memorial has been for the past several days and on the envelope it said, 'From Sandra, To My Killer'." Police said it was a frustrating waste of department resources because the note turned out to be unrelated to the investigation.

Early Thursday morning, Sandra Cantu's aunt, Angie Chavez, was out at the sidewalk memorial to collect several items and notes left by well-wishers.

Almost two weeks after the child vanished, Sandra's family says it is satisfied with the pace of the investigation into her killing. "We're very happy with the police and FBI. They are working very strong together, tirelessly to find Sandra's killer," said Chavez.

The family is asking the public to stop leaving items because of the sight of the memorial is a painful reminder. After city workers came in overnight to remove the items, a much smaller memorial remains.

A public memorial service for Sandra Cantu is set for next Thursday, April 16, at 1 p.m at West High School in Tracy.