TX TX - Rosa Sandoval, 12, San Antonio, 28 May 2004

[WasBlind]

The article states...

Law enforcement authorities targeted the area after a skull was found near there Dec. 10.

The remains will be sent to a lab, possibly in Dallas, for identification. It could take up to three months for the process to be completed.

There are currently three high-profile cases of missing females from Bexar County.

Marisol Hernandez , a mother of three, has been missing since Jan. 2004. Her Ford Mustang was discovered in a parking lot at Commerce Street and General McMullen. Her boyfriend was once considered a suspect but was later cleared by police.

In May 2004, Rosa Sandoval , 12, disappeared following an argument with her sister. Police have followed up on hundreds of leads but there is still no sign of Sandoval.

Authorities are also trying to find 21-year-old Lucero Sarabia , who failed to return home following a Thanksgiving party. Friends said a man at the party offered her a ride home, but he has never been located.

Prayers for all three families, Lanie

 

[WasBlind]

Is that anywhere near where Rachel Cooke disappeared? TIA

I'm so sad that another family has to through this.

No ma'am, it isn't.

Three families will now have to wait.
I have to wonder if the skull found was from the same remains, and if so, why hasn't there been a simple dental match done by now?

Seems cruel to make any family wait for 3 months for testing.
Dental is so fast, if the records are readily available.

Prayers for all involved, Lanie

 

[Cypros]

I don't get it. How can they state that the skeletal remains found belong to a "high profile" missing persons case when they haven't even identified whose remains they are? I realize that there is a good chance that they belong to one of the three women, but, in reality, it could be anyone. I hope they expedite the identification process so that at least one family can experience a sense of closure.

 

[WasBlind]

I don't get it. How can they state that the skeletal remains found belong to a "high profile" missing persons case when they haven't even identified whose remains they are? I realize that there is a good chance that they belong to one of the three women, but, in reality, it could be anyone. I hope they expedite the identification process so that at least one family can experience a sense of closure.

I personally believe they already suspect who the body belongs to, because they probably have a dental match (from the skull found in December).

Since they cannot say for certain, to say it is the body of the one whose skull was found, when it may not be, would be careless. In reality, it could be two matches. That would be rare, but stranger things have happened.

Sadly, there is no closure after something like this happens, Cypros. The person that comes to mind is Magi Bish, Molly's mother. She has made some profound statements about the missing since Molly was taken, and continues to do so. Nothing is ever closed in a person's life once this tragedy has touched them. The word is a media spin, and sadly has now been picked up by many. As a victim of crime, I can tell you there is no such thing. We seek answers, and justice.

Bless you for caring for the missing, Cypros! I find your posts so enlightening.

Praying for answers, and soon.
With love and HOPE, Lanie

 

[tezi]

No ma'am, it isn't.

Three families will now have to wait.
I have to wonder if the skull found was from the same remains, and if so, why hasn't there been a simple dental match done by now?

Seems cruel to make any family wait for 3 months for testing.
Dental is so fast, if the records are readily available.

Prayers for all involved, Lanie

Thanks Lanie. It does seem cruel to make these poor families wait.

 

[tuppence]

I would think they would know very quickly if it were the 12 year old vs an older person's skull.

 

[carolina]

i mean, can't they release the identity of just the skull so that person's family does know instead of unnecessarily waiting?

if it turns out that for some reason the other reamins do not belong to the skull they could just announce that later!

 

[PrayersForMaura]

I have a question and it's kind of morbid but I honestly have no clue.

How long does it take for a head to be simply a skull upon decomposition?
I would thik it would take longer than 2 months, but I dont know. What I mean by this is if it takes longer than 2 months, then the remains may not be that of Lucero, who was missing since Thanksgiving.
Either way, this discovery is so sad for all tree families involved because they have to wait and pray that it's not their family member.

All of these abductions and murders in our country areforms of tyranny and terrorism to me... I think our government needs to do a lot more within our own country to control this violence. Our annual murder rate is so high. It's probably the highest of any free country in the world.

Violence and homicide need to be stopped.
What is the government doing for these victims' families and what is being done to prevent more of these horrible situations?

 

[real eyes]

I agree that they more than likely know who it is, but it is interesting that they list it "high profile".

Rachel Cooke was missing from Georgetown, which is a little over 100 miles away. I think that it is possible that it *could* be her. I know that more then likely it is not, but I don't think that with the information that was provided that we (not LE) can rule her out either. Especially with what that dirt bag did with Megan Holden, that was over 100 miles.

I don't get that the skull was found on Dec 10th? Are these in the same general area? How close were they found? Why were these just found now, I would think that they searched on Dec 10th for more clues or parts? AND they still don't know who the skull belonged to? Why not?

 

[RCOOKE]

I gave this information to our sheriff's office. From the article, it sounds like the body had only been there a few months.

Robert

 

[tezi]

Thanks Robert for the update.

 

[Richard]

I have a question and it's kind of morbid but I honestly have no clue.

How long does it take for a head to be simply a skull upon decomposition?
I would thik it would take longer than 2 months, but I dont know. What I mean by this is if it takes longer than 2 months, then the remains may not be that of Lucero, who was missing since Thanksgiving....

The answer would depend in large part on the conditions under which the skull was stored or subjected to. Colder weather would delay decomposition. In hot, humid climate, a body exposed to the elements can decompose in a matter of a week or two. In very dry climate and in sheltered area, a body might be well preserved for months or even years.

Following the Battle of Gettysburg, it was decided to disinter all Union Soldiers from their battlefield graves and bury them in the new US cemetery there. Samuel Weaver was a doctor who supervised all those removals and reburials, which took place over the course of about a year. He made a very thorough report, detailing where every body was found, how it was identified, what personal effects were with the body, and even the condition of the body in some instances.

The type of soil, depth of burial, and other factors - such as previous nutrition of the soldier - seemed to Affect the state of preservation or decomposition. Those buried in loose sandy soil were almost completely skeletonized, while some buried in clay were pretty much intact and even recognizable. Union soldiers who were well fed, seemed to decay more quickly than Confederates who had not eaten as well.

 

[meggilyweggily]

On the face of it, it is cruel to make the families wait if they already have a pretty good idea who it is. However, I myself know of at least THREE cases where the police misidentified a body. They thought it was so-and-so, notified the family, announced it, then it turned out it wasn't. In one case the funeral was underway when the mistake is realized. I think that's a lot worse than the families having to wait a bit longer. The cops are just trying to be careful.

 

[monkalup]

I agree, Meagan. LE has to be so careful with these notifications. And the very sad truth is that the families of the missing go through this uncertainty and dread everytime remains are found. And as the years go by, you realize your loved ones could be anywhere...so the circle of "interest" grows.
I have had 25 years of these gut wrenching moments, days, weeks, waiting for an ID for remains that were found...always thinking of Jean Marie, then berating myself for thinking it could be her.
Although media, lawyers, neighbors in general can be hurtful without intention, LE is all too aware of how sensitive these subjects are. Good LE will be very, very careful how they go about identification and notification.

 

[mysteriew]

My guess is that they have an idea who it is, due to the clothing found. But families wouldn't be notified until identity is confirmed through dental matches or DNA. LE may start preparing the family now though, letting them know that it is possibly their loved one, but cautioning that they won't know for sure until the match is made. This way they have time to absorb it before the media onslaught. At least this has been my observation in other cases.

My question would be why the long wait from the time that the skull was found to the finding of the body? Have they been searching all this time, or did they wait until now to search for the rest of the remains? It has been over a month in between.

 

[OriginalJerseyGirl]

Originally posted by PrayersForMaura: All of these abductions and murders in our country areforms of tyranny and terrorism to me... I think our government needs to do a lot more within our own country to control this violence. Our annual murder rate is so high. It's probably the highest of any free country in the world.

Violence and homicide need to be stopped.
What is the government doing for these victims' families and what is being done to prevent more of these horrible situations?

I have thought this hundreds of times! I cannot agree with you more. How long do these unthinkable atrocities need to go on before someone tries to get a handle on things? I don't know where the fault lies though. Laws, lengths of prison terms, etc., vary so much from state to state and even from case to case. You've got people in jail for 8 years for marijuana possession but someone else is out after 3 for rape! The whole system is messed up that way in my opinion. Too many people plea bargain, get time off for good behavior, and on and on and on. We need to make the punishments fit the crimes, make a 20 year sentence a true 20 year sentence, and try to instill some sort of uniformity between cases. And as long as a perpetrator can get time cut off of their sentence, oftentimes making the duration of their conviction ridiculously lenient, there will always be criminal minds out there that figure it's worth the gamble.

 

[CaliKid]

Sounds like they have a serial kidnapper/killer on the loose. Any news?

 

[ShowerSinger]

Sadly, the skeletal remains DNA matched this young girl. Her family has been notified.

 

[ShowerSinger]

I heard that the remains are those of 12-year old Rosa Sandoval. Hoping someone else can confirm. We're having bad weather here, and the power keeps going on, and off. Maybe someone can confirm?
Thank you, Love & Prayers.

 

[KatherineQ]

Yes, it's Rosa Sandoval.

Oddly, the article refers to her as a "woman". God rest her soul.

http://www.woai.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=2FBCED0B-ACDA-4E46-B6C0-DBB206563BB5