Boy's body discovered in Delta-Mendota Canal near Santa Nella | Merced Sun-Star

PATTERSON -- The mother and grandmother of 4-year-old Juliani Cardenas were so overwhelmed with emotion they had to remain seated during a candlelight observance Tuesday night.

A few hundred people with somber faces gathered on the lawn in front of City Hall to offer their support to the Cardenas family.

A body believed to be that of Juliani was found in the Delta-Mendota Canal on Tuesday morning by a canal worker near Santa Nella, 31 miles south of where he was snatched from his grandmother's arms two weeks ago.

From her seat, a tearful Amparo Cardenas thanked everyone who participated in the search for her grandson, whom she called "Julianito."

"He's looking at all of you from wherever he is," she said about her grandson. "I don't have the words, but you're all in my heart forever."

The boy's mother, Tabitha Cardenas, sat in a chair next to her mother but was too emotional to speak to the crowd of supporters.

Amparo Cardenas thanked law enforcement officials who worked around the clock trying to bring the boy home.

"They were always there, day and night," she said. "I want to thank all the divers, who were diving in that cold water looking for my grandson."

Those gathered at the observance prayed and cried together as they honored the life of the little boy, whose disappearance had touched so many with hope, fear and sadness the past two weeks.

"On such a tragic day, there's a sea of faces here to give their support to Tabitha, to Amparo and to Juliani," Patterson Mayor Luis Molina said to the crowd of supporters.

Molina said the tragic ending of Juliani's life should be a reminder "to hold those dear to you closer; to invest in our families. This should be the focus in remembering Juliani."

The observance lasted about 30 minutes. Afterward, visibly distraught family members -- seeking to grieve in private -- were ushered into City Hall away from news cameras.

Former Patterson Mayor Becky Campo -- a close friend of the Cardenas family -- hugged Tabitha and Amparo as they left. She said it will take a long time before this small town can heal.

"Obviously we're very broken," Campo said. "This is really heart-wrenching."

No positive identification has been made of the small body pulled from the canal Tuesday, and DNA results won't be back for a couple of weeks, according to Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson.

But about 11:10 a.m., about four hours after the grim discovery in the Delta-Mendota Canal, a posting went up on the Facebook page of Juliani's mother, Tabitha Cardenas, that read:

"I have the worst news in the world to tell you all ... ='( My son's body has been found in the canal no DNA has confirmed it but its his clothes and shoes have and it's a 4 year old boy. So I want everyone to pray that Jose's body is found so we can all know that he's burning in HELL and I don't have to worry about him taking my unborn baby girl ... ='( "

Cardenas, 29, is pregnant with kidnapping suspect Jose Esteban Rodriguez's daughter. Her due date is March 3.

She sent a second message two minutes after the first:

"I'm not talking to the press or anyone else; I just had to let you all know before the news does ... I love you all very much and my son does, too. He's my 'lil angel now and believe me I'm crying as I am writing this to you all ..."

Christianson, speaking at a noon news conference on the steps of Patterson City Hall, said: "We've lost the life of a little boy. ... We want to offer our deepest condolences to the Cardenas family."

The body was found near McCabe Road west of Interstate 5 near Santa Nella, about 31 miles south of Zacharias Road, where investigators have said they believe Juliani and the 27-year-old Rodriguez entered the canal in the suspect's car Jan. 18.

Since the beginning, the search for Juliani was focused on the canal, from which the Toyota Corolla belonging to Rodriguez was pulled out Friday. No bodies were in the car.

Even though investigators believe the body of Rodriguez is in the canal, Christianson said "this is a homicide case" and a warrant has been issued for Rodriguez's arrest.

Juliani's family members were informed Tuesday morning, and an FBI victim's advocate was with the family at their home on Barros Street, about three miles from where Rodriguez's car went into the canal. Sheriff's crime scene tape blocked the entrance to the cul-de-sac, behind which neighbors and family friends consoled each other in the street.