Newswise — National child crime expert David Finkelhor, director of the University of New Hampshire Crimes against Children Research Center and professor of sociology, is available to discuss the alleged sexual assault and murder of 8-year-old Sandra Cantu of Tracy, California.
Sunday school teacher Melissa Huckaby, 28, has been charged with the girl's murder. Media reports indicate that police may charge Huckaby with molestation and sexual assault.
"This crime is not characteristic of female homicides or of female-perpetrated sexual assaults. Female perpetrated homicides against children are primarily mothers who are depressed, overwhelmed, dealing with child custody issues or severe mental health problems. Female-perpetrated sex crimes are more often against teens or committed in tandem with a male perpetrator," Finkelhor said.
"There is little in the available information on Melissa Huckaby that suggests an explanation. Survivors of sexual abuse under severe stress circumstances and in unusual cases sometimes re-enact elements of their own abuse histories in a primitive effort to try to master the traumatic feelings, but this is totally speculative. Severe delusional psychiatric problems can also not be ruled out," he said.
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