SEARCHING FOR SANDRA The Story Behind the Disappearance of Sandra Cantu

Hardback. At 3.54pm on the afternoon of March 27, 2009, a surveillance camera recorded 8yr old Sandra Cantu walking through the Tracy, California mobile home park where she lived. This was the last time she would be seen alive. An FBI suspect profile leads investigators on a search for the child's likely abductor: a white male, age 35-45, with a criminal history, and possibly a large collection of child pornography. However, on April 10, 2009, as a horrified country looked on, police announced the unthinkable. Melissa Huckaby, a 28yr old former Sunday school teacher, had been arrested and charged with the murder of Sandra Cantu. An 18yr veteran police officer, the author is among the law enforcement professionals who admit that they got it wrong. In the weeks following Sandra's disappearance, the author's on-air analysis held firm: the suspect was most likely a male sexual predator who lived within the mobile home park where Sandra lived. As it turned out, she was only half right. Melissa Huckaby, an intelligent, educated, soccer mom simply didn't fit the profile of a potential child abductor and murderer. The reason? Prior to Huckaby's arrest, the FBI reportedly had no case on record of a female abducting, sexually assaulting, and murdering a child. Ultimately, it was Huckaby who brought attention on herself by engaging investigators, leading many to question whether justice would have been served had her behaviour not been so erratic. The author's in-depth review of this precedent-setting case examines the background and motives behind Melissa Huckaby's unimaginable actions in March 2009, and looks at what lessons can be found for parents and law enforcement professionals alike. By analysing and understanding Huckaby's motives, the author holds out hope that the story of Sandra Cantu might help save other children from sharing a similar fate. The days of "Stranger Danger" are over now, having been replaced by a darker era where stereotypes no longer exist, and no person -friend, neighbour, or family member - should be above a parent's suspicion. Illus. + Author's Note. 229pp. 8vo. h/back. As new in dw.