A California mom of three was brutally killed in her home while her children vacationed with her estranged husband. Now police and her family are looking for answers.
Virginia "Gina" Cantero was discovered by her loved ones when they returned to their family home in Sylmar on September 7. Cantero had decided to stay back at the house while the three teenagers spent Labor Day weekend with their dad in Mexico.
Investigators are trying to determine how the murder took place. There was no sign of forced entry into the home, indicating someone Cantero knew and trusted may have taken her life.
"Her family had been out of town, they returned home Tuesday night and they discovered her," Los Angeles Police Department Detective Christine Moselle told People magazine.
"She had been deceased for an unknown amount of time but definitely several days."
Cantero's brother, Sean Soto, believes that she was killed shortly after everyone else left.
"I called her the last few days … no response," he told NBC Los Angeles.
A cause of death has yet to be determined. There is a person of interest police are looking to speak to. Soto says that he last saw his sister on September 3 at the house, with a male friend she'd been spending time with in recent months.
"He fooled us," Soto said.
Cantero had been through a lot in the last year. She'd lost a brother, her mother, and her grandmother.
"She endured a lot of losses, and she overcame it, too. She was still working," said longtime friend Estashia McGinnis.
McGinnis remembered her friend as someone who was there for her whenever things get tough. "She fed me, she clothed me," she said.
"Never charged me nothing. When she cooked, she made sure I had a plate, too. She loved her kids, would give her shirt off her back for anybody."
As police continue to investigate, they are urging anyone with any information to come forward. Anonymous tips can be made to the LA Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477).
