Woman suspected in 8-year-old's slaying grew up in O.C.
未知 | 2014-01-08 16:53
Ten years ago, Melissa Huckaby gossiped about cheerleaders in physics class, dressed up like a cat for Halloween and chatted with her dance teacher during lunch or after school.

She didn't dress in an unusual way. She didn't act out. She just blended in at Brea Olinda High School, friends and a teacher recall.


 
Melissa Chantel Huckaby, a former Brea Olinda High student, has been arrested by Tracy Police in connection with the murder of 8-year-old Sandra Cantu.
 
It's a stark contrast to the image of a woman, accused of a child's murder, that's being flashed in media outlets today.

Huckaby, 28, is facing charges of murder, kidnapping, rape with a foreign object and lewd or lascivious conduct in connection with the death of 8-year-old Sandra Cantu in Tracy, a town near San Francisco. Sandra, a playmate of Huckaby's daughter's, was found in a suitcase in a pond.

Huckaby's ex-husband told ABC's "Good Morning America" on Friday he was in "shock and disbelief" when he heard about her arrest, The Associated Press reported.

"It's not something you want to think anyone possibly (is capable) of doing - let alone somebody that you knew and that's a mother of your child," John Huckaby said. He said their 5-year-old daughter, Madison, is in a "safe place" and doesn't know anything about the case, the Associated Press reported.
 
HIGH SCHOOL YEARS
Huckaby grew up in La Habra and attended Brea Olinda High School from 1995 to 1999.

One of Melissa Huckaby's high school teachers also was baffled.

"It's shocking that anyone would do that, but it's very surprising that Melissa would do it," Brea Olinda's former dance director, Carole Finn, said about the murder allegations. Finn was Huckaby's high school dance instructor.

"I think sometimes kids in high school, you see there's hatred or they are upset about things in the world. … But Melissa was never that way."
At school, Huckaby showed no signs of trouble.

Classmate Charya Lon, a cheerleader who was a year younger than Huckaby, used to chat with Huckaby, a dancer, during physics class about cheerleading and dance. Huckaby told her that some of the cheerleaders were mean, but that Lon was a nice one. In her yearbook, Huckaby wrote that Lon was a cool person and wished her an awesome senior year.

"She had plenty of friends. She was not an outcast by any means. She was very friendly. Everybody liked her. I don't know anybody who didn't like her," Lon said.

Huckaby served as the secretary of the dance performing group, according to the 1999 yearbook.

Finn said Huckaby and a friend would regularly visit her during lunch and after school. Finn doesn't believe Huckaby had previous dance training but enjoyed dancing.
Huckaby never caused any problems.

Finn said she recognized Huckaby when she saw the police mug shot.

"I said, 'It's Melissa.' I immediately knew who it was. Immediately. Like a flashback," Finn said.

But the image is not the way Finn remembers her.

"She was always so cooperative and nice. And it's just so sad. I'm just so sad about that," Finn said.

"You know there … are students, they did something bad and you say, 'Oh well, I could see that coming.' But that wasn't the case with Melissa at all. You never would have dreamt that she (would do) anything bad."
 
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