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Thursday, Apr. 09, 2009

Coroner confirms Cantu remains, Tracy police continue looking for killer

San Joaquin County coroner's officials have positively identified the remains of Sandra Cantu using dental records, Sheriff's Deputy Les Garcia said this morning.

The 8-year-old Tracy girl disappeared March 27 from the mobile home park where she lived with her mother and grandparents.

On Monday, farmworkers draining an irrigation pond several miles from her home discovered her remains in a suitcase that had been dumped in the water. Police initially identified Cantu by the clothes she was wearing when she last was seen - black leggings and a pink shirt.

Cantu's body remains at the San Joaquin County morgue in French Camp, awaiting funeral arrangements, Garcia said. Authorities have not yet determined a cause of death. Toxicology and other analyses could take as long as eight weeks, Garcia said.

At a morning press conference today, Tracy Police Sgt. Tony Sheneman said the search for her killer is focusing on "no specific person at this time."

"We are working very diligently to locate and identify the killer or killers of Sandra Cantu," he said.

Tracy Police have served "in excess of 15 warrants," so far, he said, and investigators likely will issue more.

All of the warrants remain sealed.

Sheneman declined to elaborate on what may have been found during the Tuesday night search of Clover Road Baptist Church. The church is less than a mile from the mobile home park where Cantu lived. The pastor of the church, Lane Lawless, also lives in the park and is among many people who police say they have questioned.

Sheneman said police have "no specific information" on who owned the suitcase that Cantu was found in.

Along with more than 100 investigators from outside agencies including the FBI, the CHP and the San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office, the Tracy Police Department has dedicated the entire 25-person investigative division to finding Cantu's killer, Sheneman said. In addition, patrol officers with investigative experience have been reassigned to the investigation, he said.

"We have everyone we can have (on the case)," he said. "And we still have to concern ourselves with the safety and daily operations of the city."

Sheneman said a Tracy PD liaison is with the Cantu family at almost all hours of the day.

"They want us to concentrate on finding the people responsible and they are optimistic," he said. "We are moving in the right direction."