Man Reported at Pond Where Tracy Girl Was Found

A Tracy area man says he saw a man "acting real strange" at an irrigation pond three days before eight-year-old Sandra Cantu's body was found in a suitcase pulled from the water.
     
After the gruesome discovery, Stephen Memory says he spoke to the FBI about what he saw.

The 19-year-old Memory reported that he thought it was odd to see a beige Chevrolet Silverado truck parked on the shoulder of the road facing in the wrong direction on the afternoon of April 3. Sandra's body was found April 6.

Memory says the driver -- a white man in his late 40s or early 50s wearing a white baseball cap and dark T-shirt -- appeared to be looking down at the ditch beside the road, which is not well-traveled.

Tracy police confirmed that they had spoken to Memory, but would not say if they had lead to any breaks in the case.

During an afternoon news conference Friday, Tracy police said they had no big updates on the case.  They said they would continue to execute search warrants on homes and vehicles.

Cantu went missing two weeks ago today.

Members of the public are invited to attend the little girl's memorial set for next week.

Tracy police say the little girls family has set a public service for Thursday at 1:30 p.m. at Tracy's Merrill F. West High School.

The service will be held in the school's gym, which holds about 2,500 people. Overflow seating will be available in the school's cafeteria.

A guest book is also available for the public to express their sympathy and support for the family. The book was made available Friday and will be at Fry Memorial Chapel all weekend from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The book will be given to the family later.

The family is asking well-wishers not to drop off any more balloons or cards at the entrance to their home.  They say seeing those things upsets them.

Meanwhile, Tracy police are busy tracking down tips that have been flowing into the department since the little girl's reported disappearance.

Sgt. Tony Sheneman says the department has fielded nearly 1,500 tips. He describes the leads as ranging from "psychic information to information that doesn't make a great deal of sense."
 

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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