California Girl Sandra Cantu Found in Suitcase After 10-Day Search

Julianna Barbassa has written an article for the Associated Press that reports that an eight-year-old California girl, Sandra Cantu, was found in a suitcase in a drained pond. She was found in Tracy, California, near her home in a trailer park.

Sandra Cantu was last seen skipping near her home. At this time no suspects have been considered.

Tracy Police Chief Janet Thiessen said in the article, "We will determine the person or persons responsible for this reprehensible act and bring them to justice."

An autopsy has been planned to determine the cause of death.

Sandra was identified by the clothes she had been wearing, which were a pink "Hello Kitty" T-shirt and black leggings.

Sandra's father Daniel Cantu who lives in Mexico had been questioned by authorities and had said he had not seen her in a year. Details of the conversation have not been released. It is uncertain whether or not he is a suspect.

When it was determined that Sandra was missing, hundreds of volunteers helped look for her as well as the FBI.

What led to the suitcase's discovery was the act of draining of the pond. The pond was an irrigation pond and workers were in the process of draining it when they found it.

The pond had been checked before but the water was too deep.

I am saddened by this. I thought I would do some research to see what the current state of affairs was. My initial approach was going to be what the numbers were between family and non-family abductions.

In my hometown of Peoria, Illinois, we recently had a kidnapping-murder by a father that made me think about looking at the comparisons between family and non-family abductions.

Then I saw it.

The question was really and truly asked and worse it had an honest, sincere answer like it was no big deal that it had been asked: "Are kidnapped children tax-deductable?"

I checked with the ultimate word on taxation and that is the IRS. Sure enough, you may claim your kidnapped child as long as they had lived with you and you are sure they have not been kidnapped by a family.

'Nuff said.

References:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ii5r-B2tDoFc8mJw9T7AquND3ZNQD97DKEPG0
http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc357.html
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,491008,00.html