Sandra Cantu

Pastor Clifford Lane Lawless

On April 6, Jose Luis Franco was working at a dairy farm just north of Tracy when he noticed something unusual. In the pond, a piece of luggage appeared to have been left behind. He called the authorities, who spent several hours at the scene — they were not yet aware what was inside the suitcase, nor did they know it had any connection with the Cantu case. After processing the scene, the authorities announced that a body had been found inside the suitcase, and that the body was indeed Sandra's, ending the 10 day hunt for the eight-year old. Franco was later awarded $20,000 for locating the luggage that held the body.

That night police declared the mobile home park a crime scene and spent numerous hours questioning Pastor Lane Lawless.