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The Police Were Warned About Melissa Huckaby
Paul Sakuma / AP Photo
The mother of the 7-year-old girl allegedly abducted by Melissa Huckaby in January tells Jennifer Wadsworth that Sandra Cantu might be alive today if local police had done their job.
The family of a 7-year-old girl allegedly abducted in January by suspected murderer-rapist Melissa Huckaby says they believe 8-year-old Sandra Cantu would be alive today if police had done their job months ago. Lora Polk, 41 says local police should have done more when her daughter returned high on muscle relaxants after an afternoon at the park with the 28-year-old Sunday-school teacher.
Polk’s daughter told her that Huckaby took her to Wendy’s and gave her water that “tasted like medicine.” The little girl could barely remember anything that day.
Polk claims that Huckaby took her daughter on January 17 without permission. She said Huckaby returned four hours later, after she reported her daughter missing, and after police had combed the Orchard Estates Mobile Home Park in Tracy, California, where they live. The little girl seemed fine at first, Polk said. She was just emotional and seemed tired.
Dinnertime rolled around by the time Huckaby brought back the girl, so Polk said she took off for McDonald’s to buy her daughter a Happy Meal. But in the car, the girl started to nod off, she started to slump and she slurred her words.
“She was not acting right,” said Polk. “It was really scaring me.”
Polk quickly headed for the emergency room at the local hospital, she said this morning. Doctors rushed the girl inside. Polk waited for hours before police showed up and told her they had found muscle relaxants in the girl’s bloodstream.
Police initially accused Polk of drugging her own daughter, she claimed. They said they smelled alcohol on her breath. Polk admitted she had drunk some beer that night. “It was the end of the day,” said Polk, who admittedly has troubles in her own past. (She has a history of drug abuse and lost a daughter in 1994 to Child Protective Services. Polk hasn’t seen her daughter since, but said she’s trying to get her life back together. She also has a 22-year-old son and an 18-year-old daughter.) Police then asked Polk if they could search her home.
“Of course, I let them,” she said. The single mother lives with her grandparents in the same mobile-home park where Sandra lived before she was killed, and where Huckaby lived with her own grandparents before her April 10 arrest. The police didn’t find anything.
Child Protective Services took Polk’s daughter early in the morning on January 18 and kept her overnight. Polk walked the few miles home at 2 in the morning, around the same time Huckaby said police went to her house for questioning. Records show they never served a search warrant related to the incident.
Authorities released Polk’s daughter the next morning. That’s when she started asking her daughter about what happened the day before. Polk’s daughter told her that Huckaby took her to Wendy’s and gave her water that “tasted like medicine.” The little girl could barely remember anything that day. She remembered Huckaby took her to three parks with her own daughter, 5-year-old Madison. She remembered nothing of her emergency-room visit.
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Lloyd Grove is editor at large for The Daily Beast. He is also a frequent contributor to New York magazine and was a contributing editor for Condé Nast Portfolio. He wrote a gossip column for the New York Daily News from 2003 to 2006. Prior to that, he wrote the Reliable Source column for the Washington Post, where he spent 23 years covering politics, the media, and other subjects.
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Lee Siegel has written about culture and politics and is the author of three books: Falling Upwards: Essays in Defense of the Imagination; Not Remotely Controlled: Notes on Television; and, most recently, Against the Machine: Being Human in the Age of the Electronic Mob. In 2002, he received a National Magazine Award for reviews and criticism.
New Charges: Melissa Huckaby Drugged People
Jennifer Wadsworth is a reporter for the Tracy Press in Tracy, California, where she writes about schools, politics, and crime.
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Jennifer Wadsworth is a reporter for the Tracy Press in Tracy, California, where she writes about schools, politics, and crime.
Melissa Huckaby's Other Victim
Jennifer Wadsworth is a reporter for the Tracy Press in Tracy, California, where she writes about schools, politics, and crime.
It's clear to me that when many police officers make judgments about lower income people they don't feel the urge to put themselves out. If Polk was middle class and living in a subdivision, Huckaby would have been arrested.
You have reached a conclusion not based on fact buy emotion and hunch. You obviously have an "axe to grind", and you are ready to play the "victim card". You may be right. You may be wrong. But, it's anything but "clear". You simply are speculating based on your own presuppositions.
I'm beginning to think that's exactly what Malissa was counting on. Maybe she singled out, not only the lower income, but the family with a history of substance and alcohol abuse, AND DFS problems. That way, when the child returned home only to become disorientated with slurred words, the family would be scared to death to report the incident - fearful that their history would cause the police to blame them and remove the child.
Think about the psychopathic cruelty involved in that kind of planning. If my thinking has any validity, I wonder how Melissa determined what households had DFS, alcohol and drug problems and what she held over Sandra's parents. Wonder if Ms. Polk told Melissa about her DFS and police problems?
easy for teachers to find out--all they have to do is listen and observe---vulnerable children makes themselves known through their behaviors that most teachers easily identify----
then how do you explain that little girl in colorado murdered in her home---is her name XX Benet?---her parents were loaded and under suspicion forever. her mom died with the world still suspecting foul play---there was none.
when a kid is murdered, the whole damn thing is grissly---upper--lower socio-economics--ugly
Yeah, it's always the police's fault when things go wrong. Funny how when the police do something they are "harassing" someone and when it appears they don't do something they are "lazy". Brilliant.
911s a joke -------------yo.
Let's look at the facts--without emotion. A child tested positive for muscle relaxants, a controlled substance. Nothing is found at her mother's house. Investigation over--sorry, "pending."
Where else had the child been that day? An unauthorized outing with a neighbor--nobody say kidnapping! And yet they really don't delve any further.
I would think at the very least they might suspect Huckaby and Polk were working together to try to cover something up and that alone should trigger an investigation and a search of Huckaby's home.
If Polk gave her daughter muscle relaxants I imagine the LAST thing she would do is draw attention to herself by taking her daughter to the emergency room.
Melissa Huckaby is one sick beeyotch. The police did NOT do their job and yes, it's very easy to blame where blame lies. Lazy indeed.
If my 7 year old child came home drugged after being abducted, you bet your $%# those cops would have been searching Ms. ChoMo's house and car.
And what about Madison?? Have they check her? Questioned her?
Those cops searched the mom's home. Thesame mother who reported her kid missing. Which is something they SHOULD have done. They stopped there. Lazy, lazy, lazy!!
I agree, if they would have taken the Jan. report seriously, we would allbe commenting/blogging on some other tragedy. SHAME ON TRACY POLICE DEPARTMENT! I truly hope the officers on the Polk case cannot sleep at night.
All about arresting druggies and meth labs, ignoring baby rapers. Tracy, CA ... you should be so proud.
The Police did their job, they looked into it, but of course Ms. Huckaby is white, female and Christian from a good family, she can't possibly have committed a crime, case closed!
In another article, written by the same author, it was noted that benzodiazepines were detected in the blood....this article says muscle relaxants; which is it? Benzos can be used as anti-anxiety agents and muscle relaxants and not all muscle relaxants are benzos. As far as I know Klonopin, Xanax, Ativan, Valium are not soluble (dissolve) in water and would cause most children to get sick. In other words, if a person wanted to sedate a child, benzos are not the drug of choice which makes me think Melissa is not as slick as she thinks. Yes, the child's memory might be wiped but she will not forget the bitter, powdery taste of the undissolved medication - which seems to be what happened.
The fact that the police didn't charge Melissa with kidnapping is outrageous; failing to search her residence to match the class of drugs found in the child's system is even more outrageous.
I'm certainly relieved to here that DFS was called but why remove a child from a home that had no drugs and from a mom who cared enough to have her examined in a hospital, while at the same time, allow Melissa, who has a small child and is the real focus of suspicious events go unscathed?
There was no investigation because if there was - Sandra would be alive today. Shame on the police and DFS!!!!!!!!!
I watched a tv news story on this matter the other day. A woman was sitting at a table, and her purpose was suppoedly to organize efforts to change the law to prevent incidents like Sandra Cantu's death.
When the mike was put in front of her, the woman's only comment was that the law has gone too far to protect the criminal. Now what on earth has happened in this case that would cause that sort of comment? There has been exactly one court hearing and nothing has come forth to suggest the reason for this poor child's death had anything to do with procedures followed in court.
But now we see that the one incident that could have changed all this was a failure on the part of the police to investigate the drugging incident in January of this year.
I hope those looking for a quick fix that will solve every problem are now more willing to wait until all the facts come out before final blame is placed on anyone but the person who perpetrated this crime.
Oh wonderful! The continuing Bullshit Saga of our Failed Police Forces in America. What a genuine surprise. If you don't like it, upgrade and move to New Orleans. I hear the Police go Looting during Hurricanes, with the occasional murder thrown in for their amusement.
And no one sees the double standard here. They are carrying Badges, Guns, and Enforcing the Law as they arrest the wrong people (see Innocence Project) and let the bad guys go. You don't need to be Psychic on this one. The Police in this Country are beyond the pale. This is why we need a New Country. I say bring back the Redcoats! Our Police are no better than the Redcoats, who caused the Revolution in this Country by raping the women, shooting the men, and stealing the contents of the house. And how have things changed under our own management? I say the Recoats are back, they're just dressed in Blue this time. Imagine that. From Red to Blue.
pedophiles ALWAYS go after the kids from fractured homes---little wounded birds they easily prey on----
I disagree - a child doesn't have to be from a fractured home to be vulnerable and I believe a pedophile goes after the most vulnerable child around.
Sandra Cantu skipping down the road on her last day was really sad. There's no good outcome here...I'll say something that most won't agree..I feel sorry for ms Huckaby..She's damaged, shatterred..When I see her it's sad..she's so frail and weak..I can't imagine the thoughts going through her mind when alone in her cell..I can't forgive her but I will pray for her ..she needs it to end!
This comment has been removed by The Daily Beast's editors.
At least they have her now.
We had something similar happen here. Where a teenager had molested and killed a little six year old girl. Which was creepy enough, but at the time they discovered that the little girls was missing, the parents asked the young man to babysit their other children, not knowing it was him, while they went out looking for her. And it turned out he had a history of molesting, that his why his mother had moved into this new neighbourhood which was sort of low income, and his mother apparently said nothing when he went out babysitting.
But they did catch him. At the end he hung himself by mistake in a prison doing some strange thing relating to erotic asphyxiation.
So you have to be really careful when people are being friendly. I know it sounds awful. but around here, if you are new, it seems the people who are being overly friendly are the ones you have to watch out for.
Still the police would have not known this lady was going to kill a little girl, but they should have done more to find out why the Sunday school teacher took this little girl out without the mother's permission.
It could be made to sound reasonable, that she wanted a playmate for her little girl as they were going to the park and Wendy's after. That is pretty normal but she should have asked first, and the medicine part, that is the part may have needed more probable cause to do a search.
I know when my knapsack was stolen, they had the girl in the video walking out with it. The other girl that was standing by the door I think showed up on the other video, and that is the probable cause they had to search her house. In this case they didn't have much to go on, and then the girl's mother had issues herself, so it is pretty difficult case.
I am sure Melissa may have gone after someone who the police would have given a harder time to, and caused side issues for, and it is too bad they didn't search Mellisa's home for the drug, based on the woman's complaint that her daughter had been taken without her permission. They possibly would have if they had been someone else, if the taking of the girl who returned dangerously drugged, should be argued as probable cause, I notice that it is very common to not respect a woman's space, and when things happen to her without her consent, it is argued that it is justified because someone in a higher social standing was making a decision for her, and it is often women doing it to other women, and I think a lot of these things can happen through a church which again can prey on the most vulnerable.
This tragedy isn't about police failure.
Police did what they are supposed to do: they looked for probable cause.
The first child's family WAS the legitimate probable cause.
The police had nothing else to go on.
I imagine that when the anti-law enforcement bloggers on this site have a break-in, a suspicious person in their neighborhood, a car accident or a theft, they call...wait for it...the local police.
Wonder why?
Yes, finderj, this tragedy is about police failure, very serious police failure. The police officers involved on the front line failed miserably here. If the abduction and then subsequent drugging of a child is not "probable cause," then what is? The police not only had a missing child report, they had medical evidence (drug tests) conducted on the child, and a "clean" search of the mother's residence. All evidence pointed to Melissa Huckaby, and yet the police were either too stupid, too uncaring or too lazy (or some combination thereof) to pursue her. An innocent little girl died a horrific death as a result. Yes, people are angry about that, and rightly so.
But not only is this case a law enforcement failure, this case is also a failure of subsequent systems to protect California's children. The Department of Children's Services (or whatever they call themselves these days), which felt concerned enough to take the Polk child into protective custody should have asked more questions and demanded more answers. The mental health court, before whom the mental health social worker testified recently as to the "amazing progress" made by Melissa Huckaby in her therapy sessions, needs to be carefully looked at. Why such a disconnect between their report and reality? Why did they not receive police reports that would have alerted them to the aberrant, illegal acts (child abduction and drugging a child, for example) that would have set the system into motion to have Melissa Huckaby committed to a state hospital?
A lot of systems failed here but the key to all of them working hinged on law enforcement. And law enforcement failed the Polk family, and subsequently, failed Sandra Cantu- miserably.
finderj, do you really think bloggers here are anti-law enforcement for criticising the horrible job the Tracy police did in this case? Maybe the people here aren't anti-law enforcement but anti - unprofessional law enforcement. Has that ever occured to you? And who will I call when I have a police-related problem? I'll call the local law enforcement agency responsible, that's who. And I'll feel damn good about it because I'll expect (and most likely will
receive) a professional law enforcement response. ( As a taxpayer, I do pay their salaries afterall).
But I also expect that if Ms. Polk or the emergency room doctor or Sandra Cantu's family calls law enforcement they too will be rendered professional law enforcement services and not be ignored. Law enforcement is well paid to render these services and that is the social contract they enter into when they become police officers. They are not signing on to be saints, and no one is expecting martyrs, so please spare us the lectures and stupid commentary about how we should be so pleased to have them respond when we call.
And exploora, please, spare us the details of your knapsack theft here. This is a serious discussion about the failure of a system to protect children, not about knapsack theft.
I think the probable cause could be argued, assuming justice is blind, that if any mother says her child was taken without permission and then returned drugged, and after it is reasonably shown it was not the mother doing the drugging, then the person who has taken the child, should be the next suspect. And it appears the investigation possibly because justice appears more deaf than blind.
Usually, people who victimize one person randomly, victimize others. I know with my knapsack situation, which is mild I know, but it could have been a lot worse, they could have had knives.
I was talked to like I might have forgotten to bring my knapsack. That is the way I was talked to at first by the people who were supposed to be helping me. Even though they found evidence in the video, of one girl walking away with my knapsack, but only after I pushed, and they used the release form as evidence only after I pushed. Anyway one of the girls, by the time it was got to trial, was in juvie for something else, obviously, another victim was made between my victimization and the trial date.
That is why it matters to push.
So maybe the mother could have pushed more, but maybe she was afraid of the police, because of the way she had been treated. In my case, the crown had already taken the case. I was being treated as a victim, not the criminal, and I think that makes the world of difference.
Thank you.
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