Missing girl's mother pointed finger at Huckaby early
Apr 22, 2009 | 11157 views | 159 
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Lora Polk, 41, came back from work on Jan. 17 to find her 7-year-old daughter gone. Huckaby, 28, took her — along with her own 5-year-old daughter — without permission from the family, Polk said this morning in an interview at the Tracy Press. Polk called police to report the missing girl. Hours later, she took her to the hospital, where doctors say they found muscle relaxers coursing through her 45-pound body.
Police initially accused Polk of drugging her daughter, she said. When Tracy police Det. Nate Cogburn went to search the family’s home, Polk said at one point he told her, “I think you’re on crank now. I think you gave (the girl) those pills.”
A gag order prevents police from discussing the missing girl’s case because it’s wrapped up in the Cantu murder investigation.
In the police log entry that reports how doctors found Polk’s daughter high on drugs, police say the mother smelled like alcohol. Polk said she did have one beer that night, and Polk said she believes police passed judgment on her because of her spotty past.
Polk has a history of drug abuse and had a daughter taken away in 1994 by Child Protective Services, which placed the child in a foster home. Polk hasn’t seen that child since. Polk said she’s getting her life together now. She also has a 22-year-old son and an 18-year-old daughter.
Polk said she believes police could have done more back in January. She said her daughter said that Huckaby took her to Wendy’s and gave her water that “tasted like medicine.”
Records show that police searched Huckaby’s house in November, when she was charged with burglary and petty theft, and in April, after Sandra went missing. There are no records that show police searched Huckaby’s home after the missing girl was shown to have been drugged.
Soon after the family reported the missing girl that day, Huckaby drove back with Polk’s daughter about four hours after first taking her, according to Polk and police records. It was early evening at that point, and the little girl seemed fine, Polk said, just emotional because police cars were at her home and her mother was frantic.
It was around dinnertime that police left, so Polk headed out with her daughter for some fast food. But in the car, the little girl started to slump over as if she were falling asleep. She slurred her words.
“She was not acting right,” said Polk. “It was really scaring me.”
Polk went straight to the emergency room at Sutter Tracy Community Hospital. Hours passed, and at about 10 p.m. that night police showed up again. They started peppering Polk with questions and told her that the doctors had found muscle relaxers in her little girl’s body.
Police asked for permission to search Polk’s house.
“Of course, I let them,” said Polk, who lives with her grandparents in Orchard Estates Mobile Home Park, where Sandra lived before she was murdered and where Huckaby lived with her grandparents before her arrest.
Child Protective Services then took Polk’s girl to the Mary Graham Children’s Shelter in French Camp, where they kept her overnight. Polk said she walked home from the hospital by herself at about 2 a.m. on Jan. 18.
Later that morning, they said Polk could have her back if the girl passed a complete physical exam. She did, and the girl was returned home that morning.
Huckaby told a Bay Area TV news station before her arrest that police showed up at her house to question her around 2 in the morning Jan. 18, about the time Polk was walking back from the hospital.
Huckaby also told KPIX that she had permission to take the girl to the park — a claim Polk says is false.
Polk said her daughter barely remembers that day. She did tell her mom that Huckaby took her to three parks and gave her the strange-tasting water, Polk said. The girl doesn’t remember the hospital visit or her overnight stay with Child Protective Services.
Polk and her family have kept their little girl inside the house since then, fearful of her safety.
Polk said Huckaby stopped by their home days later to see how the girl was holding up, but Polk said she told Huckaby that she never wants to talk to her again.
When Polk and her family heard that Sandra went missing, she said she told police, “I think you need to check out Melissa Huckaby a little bit more than you guys are doing.”
Because of the gag order, it’s unclear how much police investigated Huckaby early on in Sandra’s disappearance.
When Sandra’s body was found 10 days later, on April 6, encased in a black suitcase that Huckaby has said was hers, Polk said she started crying. So did her daughter.
“That could have been my daughter,” Polk said.
Police on Friday took Polk’s daughter to check for signs of sexual assault — months after the incident, Polk said. They found nothing. They also interviewed the girl on Friday.
Polk said Cogburn apologized to her on Friday and said that he did everything he could do in January.
Today, Polk plans to get a copy of her pharmacy records to show police all the prescriptions she takes — none of which are muscle relaxers, she said.
Police told the family that they never closed the January case, just suspended it. It’s now part of an ongoing investigation into Sandra’s murder. Huckaby is being held without bail at the San Joaquin County Jail in French Camp on charges that she kidnapped, raped and killed Sandra.
But Tracy police Sgt. Tony Sheneman on Monday said police never arrested anyone in January because they had no probable cause.
It’s a felony to give a child a controlled substance, according to the California penal code.
• Contact Tracy Press reporter Jennifer Wadsworth at 830-4225 or jwadsworth@tracypress.com.
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I agree...those who would bash, blame and badmouth this family...are very wrong and acting very cruel. I hope that there will not be any purposeful misrepresention of the truth by anyone, at the expense of this family, as that is harmful for everyone. I cannot understand how some here can speak of such pain and grief for the beautiful, innocent child whose life was so tragically taken...and then express such cruel anger and blame towards the family of the beautiful, innocent child who is still here...after thankfully having survived a previous alledged abduction by the same suspect. The little girl's mom seems to have attempted to do everything right in trying to report the truth of the situation, and I can only imagine her pain and frustration. We can all hope that their tragic situation may serve to help the criminal investigators and prosecutors in this case to pursue justice, and thus prevent this perpetrator(s) from ever harming another child. I hope this mom and her family can focus on that, and find some peace and validation in assisting the justice system to that end. If you know this family as you say, please let them know that many people have only concern and compassion for them.
Thank you for reminding me that we are all suffering one way or another. No one can judge without walking in another's shoes...
I appreciate what your saying, how it looks reading these comments, mine included. For this I am sorry. Please understand that when I heard about Sandra missing I immediately sent out the color flier of Sandra missing to about 100 folks via e-mail. I encouraged everyone to laminate it (as I did mine) and tape it to the back windshield on their car. I attended the nightly candelight vigils. I was there when they announced they had found her in the pond where we all cried and held on to one another, even though we were strangers. I wrote a poem for Sandra and placed heart balloons at the Mobile Park memorial as hundreds did as well. I took time from work and attended her funeral along with 4,000 others who cared enough to do so. Sandra attended the school my children went to when they were children. This became VERY personal to me, as it did for so many of us who never met this precious child. So when the news began coming out, in my anger and grief I may have said some things that sounded like I was accussing Lora unjustly. For this I am sorry. It is just my feeble way to make SOMEONE accountable (in addition to Melissa) for this henious crime against a child.
Please know I am not seeking you out...I just happened to click on the link to this story, as I have felt very sad about this situation in Tracy and pray every day that any and all involved in the tragic situation that led to this innocent child's horrific murder will be held accountable and never allowed to harm another child. After reading the story...your comment was the last one listed at the top of the comments section, and so I responded to you, and I did acknowledge that others also seemed to be judging this mom in saying, "I believe SOME OF YOU are being incredibly judgemental and mean spirited in some of your comments and assumptions." The column was minimized on my screen, and when I looked at it today, you had written a comment addressing me...and thus I have responded. Some of your comments do sound speculative and judgemental...Examples...
"She says she did "nothing wrong." I wonder if her children would agree. Hmmm...I wonder just how well her and the police know one another????"
"Non recovering addicts and alcoholics cannot be trusted. Nothing is more important to them than the drug, the drink... not family, not their job, just getting high."
"why didn't she express joy that her daughter didn't meet the same fate, overjoyed she's okay, bad-mouthing the police, her record........there are so many questions about her conduct that need to be scrutinized..."
"5. Lora didn't pursue the matter when the police didn't believe her, even AFTER she was told by a doctor that her daughter had been drugged"
Some of your comments do sound like you are "trashing Lora". Thus, I felt the need to point out the gossipy, judgemental nature of some of these types of comments in hopes that you or others may realize how you were coming across. I just do not believe in causing further pain to someone whose family are victims and have been harmed...especially when it is all speculation, appears mean spirited, and is not based in fact.
Yes, I agree, there is something amiss. Only Lora and God know the real truth. All of it. And the same goes for me...only God knows my heart. I will not stand judge on Lora or anyone else.
Again, this is only a forum to express our feelings, speculations, and frustration. I don't know how many times I have to write that I am in no way trashing Lora or her innocent daughter. Why you have chosen to seek me out when there have so many others who have written negativley about Lora is a mystery to me. Please re-read my posts. I only have expressed my opinions based on what has been written about her. Nothing more. If what has been written about Lora is untrue, then perhaps the poor reporting could be held responsible.
I also understand that we can't believe everything we read...with that being said I will end this post by saying there are many innocent victims in this case. The most innocent being Sandra and her family. I continue to pray for Sandra, her family, the police, and all else who are involved.
My comment concerned the fact that the woman you were making judgements of does not appear to be an unconcerned parent...the point is...SHE WAS CONCERNED about where her child was...enough to have the police involved...and involved enough to know her child's playmates...and aware enough to try to emphasize to police that the person who brought her child back home DID NOT have permission to take her child anywhere...that something was amiss in this whole situation...and she was aware and clear minded, and concerned enough to take her immediately for medical help when she recognized an abnormal mental state of her child...NONE OF THOSE THINGS SOUND LIKE A NEGLECTFUL PARENT...OR A PARENT WHO IS ALCOHOL OR DRUG IMPAIRED. And if her addiction was to some drug(s) as you state...how do you know what drug? People who have recovered from a prescription drug addiction are often still occasional social drinkers, and not considered to be "non-recovering" as you call it, due to an occasional drink. I didn't read that she was a recovering alcoholic. I have known people who have beat an addiction. I do not know this mom, and you state that you do not either. Thus, by promoting gossip and accusing speculation about her,you are harming someone who has also alledgedly fallen victim to the suspect in the murder of Sandra...and whose daughter reportedly was a friend of Sandra's. They are already hurting and vulnerable...probably more than you can imagine...and I just do not understand why you or anyone would want to add to their pain. Possibly the reason she agreed to reveal her identity and be interviewed by this reporter was to try to defend herself from the mean spirited gossip and put an end to deceptive speculation. In my opinion, she and her daughter are victims, and not the ones for you to be making judgements of. It could even be that she has not revealed some things so as to try to protect or refrain from bringing further pain to some others.
"some parents would not take the time to be caring about where the child was at 4 oclock in the afternoon...just assume they must be off playing and everything is fine, and parents should be able to trust that their child can safely play in their neighborhood at that time of day."
Please don't include me in that group. When my children were young, I ALWAYS cared and knew where they were. I NEVER assumed that "everything was fine." The fact is no matter what time of day it is, our children are our responsibility at all times. We fail them when we "assume" things are fine without checking. We live in a time when monsters are out there, all times of the day & night, lurking watching for that one child who parents "assume" everything is ok.
Nobody beats an addiction. Either they are in recovery or they are not. Lora herself stated she had "one" beer the day her daughter went missing. Clean and sober means just that. Clean=no drugs/ sober=no alcohol.
As Iv'e written in the past, I hope Lora and all her children are getting professional help to heal. I am not tearing Lora apart. I can't imagine how she must feel with everything that has gone on over the past month. However, this is a forum where we all can express our feelings about this case. Let's not ever forget the reason why we are all here outraged. Sandra was killed. A child's senseless death leaves us with grief, and so many questions why...and her mom is left with a hole in her heart that will NEVER heal.
I am starting to think that both children had spent time in that church before the day the victim vanished. It is even possible that the parents were not aware of that fact.
Lara Polk went to work and left her step father and her own mother to watch her daughter.Soon after the grand daughter became missing,and the Tracy PD was called. Lara's daughter was missing for 4-5 hours. At some point Huckaby drove back with Polk’s daughter as stated above. You have to ask yourself 'Why would one drug their own daughte???,and then offer the police to search their home?? Lara was bullied and itimidated. I ask myself these questions
1.Why wern't all suspects in the case checked out(aparentley Lara was but Huckaby wasnt)isnt it a felony to give a child a controlled substance according to the California penal code??? Somebody should have been charged with that at least
2. If a COMPLETE investigation was done at the time of the incident, maybe Huckaby would have been qustioned and arrested and this terrible incident would have never happened. I think nobody listened or believed Lara
And as far as making character statements about Lara and her family. all this negetive stuff is wrong and false. She has been clean and sober for over 2 years. If she was "high on crank' or drunk she wasn't arrested
The Tracy PD has done a great job on the Cantu case, but in my opinion a better investigation was needed in Lara's case
"2. She "walked from the hospital at 2am" which indicates she does not drive"
How is it that you do not know that another family member had driven the car home earlier...even one of her older children, and she did not want to call and wake them up...maybe so upset that her daughter was just taken that she wanted to walk home and give herself time before facing her older kids? Maybe the previous experience of having a child removed from her care is so painful that she was feeling the deepest fear and panic that you can not even imagine? From what I have heard, this mom 1) looked for her daughter immediately upon returning home from work and called police when her whereabouts were not known...that is a concerned mom...some parents would not take the time to be caring about where the child was at 4 oclock in the afternoon...just assume they must be off playing and everything is fine, and parents should be able to trust that their child can safely play in their neighborhood at that time of day. 2)She knew who her child played with...enough to be calling the correct neighbors as the child was brought back after she had contacted the grandmother of MH...who called MH to return the child. 3)She tried to emphasize to police that MH had not given permission to take her child anywhere...she recognized something was amiss here, but unfortunately it seems like MH's story was more believed at the time. 4)She recognized abnormal behavior in her child...slurring of words first I believe...as she was then taking her child to get dinner, and thus immediately headed to the nearest hospital to seek treatment for the child. 5)she stayed at the hospital until 2AM WITH her child...until she was told CPS would be sending her child to foster care and only then did she leave. I am sorry, but none of this sounds like a drug addicted, alcohol impaired mother. I believe some of you are being incredibly judgemental and mean spirited in some of your comments and assumptions. I do not live in Tracy, and I do not know this mom, but I do know that if such an incident happened with my child, and I was not being believed by the police...and actually was suspected of being the one responsible for the drugs in my child's system...to the point that they actually removed my child from my care at that time that I would so want to be with her to be sure she was watched and Ok...I may just do the same as this mom did when my daughter was returned...never allow her anywhere near the person that I knew was responsible, and try to warn other moms, and be grateful that my daughter was alive and well and returned to me. Possibly she felt if she pushed the police more, she could loose this child too. I am not trying to place blame on the Tracy police in any way, and I feel deeply for the officer involved, as I am sure he has his own burdens of wishing he could go back and do something differently...as well as CPS, any investigators or detectives, hospital staff...many people are probably questioning if they could have done something different that could have brought different results and found MH out to be the abuser. It is all so incredibly tragic for so many people, but tearing this mom (Lora) apart is so unfair of you. I have a lot of respect for people who have beaten an addiction, and since we do not know all that a person has faced in their life, prejudging them according to a few labels that have been attached to them without knowing the person or any concrete facts, is cruel and is called gossip and it is harmful. Maybe this mom quickly reminding police of this incident right after Sandra disappeared has in some way helped the investigation...and to lead to the arrest of the suspect...you really don't know. Bless all the little ones there in Tracy...praying for healing for all, and especially for those directly hurt by this perpetrator, such as this mom, Lora, and her daughter.
I do not know Lora personally. All I know is what has been written about her.
1. At 41 yrs old she lives with her granparents
2. She "walked from the hospital at 2am" which indicates she does not drive
3. She has had a history of using drugs
4. She smelled of alcohol the night she brought her daughter to the hospital (one beer would NOT smell so strong)
5. Lora didn't pursue the matter when the police didn't believe her, even AFTER she was told by a doctor that her daughter had been drugged
6. She has had another child taken from her care in 1994 and has not seen this child since
If any of this is not true, then Lora certainly can pursue a lawsuit for defamation of character. I know I would.
I am not trashing Lora. I am simply saying that based on what has been written about her, she has some demons. Therapy would be beneficial to her and her young daughter. I wish her family peace through this very dark time.
You are right, I do not know her. I am only going by what I have read. I truly do hope she is getting help for her and her family.
I didn't see your previous post however, I couldn't agree with you more. This whole town would have heard me. Our children are lucky they have protectors for parents.
I agree! I posted earlier that if the police didn't believe me, that I would have contacted the Tracy Press, the Tri Valley Herald...anyone I could to be heard. Why didn't Lora take the report from the doctor to the chief of police? This is our duty as parents to protect our kids...