Prosecutors now say eight-year-old Sandra Cantu from Tracy, California, may have been raped and molested before she was killed and her body put in a suitcase and dumped.
Melissa Huckaby, 28, has been arrested on charges of kidnapping and murder, and rape charges may be added, authorities say.
According to San Joaquin County Deputy District Attorney Robert Himmelblau a homicide charge against Melissa Huckaby could also include the "special circumstances" of rape with a foreign object, lewd and lascivious conduct with a child and murder in the course of a kidnapping.
The addition of the "special circumstances" would make Melissa Huckaby eligible for the death penalty or life in prison without parole.
San Joaquin County Deputy District Attorney Robert Himmelblau told The Associated Press on Monday that a homicide charge against Huckaby could also include the special circumstances of rape with a foreign object, lewd and lascivious conduct with a child and murder in the course of a kidnapping.
In a case that drew national attention, Sandra Cantu disappeared onMarch 27 and was last seen on surveillance video skipping near her home at the Orchard Estates Mobile Home Park in Tracy. The search for her ended on April 6, when farmworkers draining an irrigation pond found a suitcase containing her remains.
Melissa Huckaby remaineds in custody without bail in San Joaquin County jail; she is under suicide watch.
Comment and add to the story without registration, but keep the comments meaningful please. Links are not accepted.
