Daughter of Murder Suspect in Custody Battle

Staff Writer, May 14, 2009

The five-year-old daughter of the woman who was accused of kidnapping and killing eight-year-old Sandra Canto is currently embroiled in a bitter custody battle. When her mother was taken to jail on April 11, the girl’s father – her mother’s ex-husband- and her maternal grandmother began a court battle over who would have protective care over the child.

The girl’s mother was granted custody after her divorce in 2005. Her father was given authorized supervised visitation rights. After the arrest, her father was granted sole custody. He attempted to contact the girl’s mother, but was denied because she was placed on suicide watch after swallowing three razor blades.

The father was given sole custody of the girl for only two days when it was awarded to her grandmother instead, until a hearing in July. The court documents were filed on April 22, and the grandmother claimed that she is the “psychological parent” of the girl. In an effort to shield the child from media hounds, they moved to Oregon and lived with friends.

The girl’s father argued that the grandmother was actually trying to hide the girl from him and he filed documents on the same day as the grandmother. The girl’s mother will return to court on Friday for further arraignment.