Was Abuse Letter To Santa Fabricated?
Was Abuse Letter To Santa Fabricated? Save Email Print

A | A | A

(January 10, 2009)--An attorney who represents a Texas man whose stepdaughter wrote to Santa asking help to end alleged sexual abuse says the accusations in the letter are made up.

Attorney Mauro Barreiro said the mother of Andres Enrique Cantu's two young stepdaughters helped fabricate the allegations.

He said the mother, who’s Cantu's wife, is in the country illegally and wanted the family to qualify for special visas available to some crime victims.

Barreiro also said Cantu, of Pharr, should not face two counts of continuous sexual abuse of a young child because his alleged crime does not meet the criteria for the charge.

Pharr police Lt. William Edmundson declined to provide a detailed response to Barreiro's assertions, citing the sensitive nature of the case.

On Friday, Barreiro unsuccessfully sought to have his client's $350,000 bond reduced.

Police allege that for as long as four years Cantu sexually abused the young sisters in their bedrooms while the girls slept or did their homework.

The 9-year-old's plea to Santa, written in December as a school assignment, launched the investigation and led to the first charge of continuous sexual abuse.

Cantu was also accused of abusing the girl's older sister, who was also mentioned in the letter.


More Stories
Drug Testing Ordered For Mother Of Murdered Mexia Boy

5-Year-Old Shooting Victim Identified

Manhunt Underway After Violent Central Texas Assault

Swine Flu Claims Life Of Temple Woman

Texas Man Charged With Capital Murder In Infant Daughter’s Disappearance

One-Car Accident Claims Life Of 35-Year-Old Central Texas Man

Teenage Texas Counselor Hacks Opossum To Death

Five Die Thursday When Train Hits Car

Post Your Comments
First Name:
Location:
Enter Comments: characters left
Email (optional):
By posting this comment I have read and agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy:
You must agree to the Terms of Service to continue.
Read Comments
Comments are posted from viewers like you and do not always reflect the views of this station.
Posted by: UKNOW Location: HERE on Jan 13, 2009 at 02:00 PM
I am sorry! Back to MET E CO MOM AND DAUGHTERS - nice try! We have enough PERVS here without fabricating MORE stories!

Posted by: me Location: here on Jan 13, 2009 at 01:44 PM
I would surley hope that this woman would not do such a horrible thing. For the sake of all involved. What if what he is saying is true? Maybe not but it is possible...this is america...home of ill do whatever to get it free or to benifit from. I hope the police take this serious because lives of many are on the line.

Posted by: Irish Location: Austin on Jan 13, 2009 at 10:51 AM
That is why we they should get some kind of program to get these people legalized. It should would help and not have things like these come up

Posted by: Ashley Location: Waco on Jan 13, 2009 at 09:54 AM
I agree with Re. This story is very strange. I am undecided on whose side to pick. We should just wait and see. Plus, I agree that if the judge wouldn't lower the bail, that should tell you something...

Posted by: mother of two girls Location: somewhere in tx on Jan 13, 2009 at 08:25 AM
Medical profesionals can tell the truth about all this. This are little girls that need to be playing dolls instead of talking about sex. LITTLE GIRLS.... He needs to stand up and pay for taking this girls innocence away. We have LAWS.. use them.

Posted by: Re Location: Waco on Jan 12, 2009 at 10:32 PM
...it is an allegation of fabrication..coming from the man acussed. It's only stating his side of the story...please stop with assumptions already....I'm sure the truth will come out soon enough. Until then, lets all stay tuned.

Posted by: Estaven Location: El Paso on Jan 12, 2009 at 01:46 PM
Another product of the hysteria surrounding so called child abuse. Ask the folks up El Dorado how stupid we are about this issue. If these girls fabricated this letter it only verifies that children are sexually aware and Americans cannot deal with it.

Posted by: Someone Location: Near-Here on Jan 12, 2009 at 01:09 PM
Just some more pain-in-the-rear people trying to get something for nothing!! Call I.N.S. and ship these Illegals back to Mexico!!

Posted by: Tom Location: Texas on Jan 11, 2009 at 04:53 PM
This is a sad state of affairs when a mother and 2 kids will concoct such a scheme to get something that they want. This man's life is ruined even with the charges being dropped. It happens more often than it is reported because CPS is ready to jump on board & they don't care if it is true or not. The woman & the girls should be charged with making a false report and other charges that can be brought against them. I am not for child abuse in any shape, form, or fashion but neither am I for false allegations that ruins a person's life. This is a sick world that we live in.

Posted by: Anonymous Location: gatesville on Jan 11, 2009 at 03:43 PM
illegal or not, why in the hell this idiot made all that up? shame on her, I remember how many people had comments on this, and if is true he needs to pay, if not true she needs to give a live apology, to the girls , their father, the community (money they spend on this), also it was on the world news. I am furrious, shame on you woman, I hope you pay.

Posted by: Anonymous on Jan 11, 2009 at 02:01 PM
I used to live down there, and there are things like this that happen there all of the time. Living in the valley is an eye opening experience. There are many illegal immigrants there, but that is nothing new. There are things that happen down there that make me sick to my stomach, but for the people that live there, it is every day life.

Posted by: Anonymous on Jan 11, 2009 at 11:50 AM
If this kid made this up, she needs a good old fashion a** whooping!

Posted by: ME Location: HERE on Jan 11, 2009 at 09:06 AM
ILLEGALS GO FIGURE. YOU ARE ALL SICK AND WORTHLESS!!!!!!!

Posted by: Anonymous on Jan 11, 2009 at 07:58 AM
If this is true, and the kid did fabricate the letter, then she needs some time behind the woodshed, good ol corporal punishment! Then she needs to appoligize to Mr Cantu. Her mother ( who probably out her up to this) needs to be deported back to Mexico after she repays whatever money & the special visas she received because of this. If she cant or doesnt return them, then she needs to go straight to jail.

Posted by: Re Location: Waco on Jan 11, 2009 at 12:37 AM
...I hope they get to the bottom of this and real fast. I think if the accused man wasn't guilty, the judge would have lowered his bond. Either way, I still stand firm on my opinion: if accused, these kind of people should not have a bond until court, just to be on the safe side. These are our kids these predators are after. It's better to be safe than sorry. I don't care if they are innocent or not. 9 times out of ten, when a child cries out like this, it's true. God forbid the mother had the child do this to benefit with help from goverment assistance..thats wrong on so many levels. Thats someone taking help from another who really needs it and is a citizen of America. If mom had the child lie, mom should be locked up. I will stay tuned...

Posted by: KDF Location: Waco on Jan 10, 2009 at 10:13 PM
Did I read para 3 correctly!!! <><

KWTX.com Features
Double Dollar Deals
Half Price Deals at Central Texas restaurants and businesses. A new deal every Thursday at 7:00am.
Boss of the Month
Who is Central Texas’ best boss? Nominate your supervisor for Boss of the Month!
Golden Apple
Your chance to nominate an outstanding teacher. Find out how they are making a difference in classrooms.
Emily Wants to Know
Emily Matthews' inquisitive look at life in Central Texas.
10 On Your Side
Answers from our experts on topics that affect YOU.
Job of the Week
Click now to see hundreds of other jobs on Job Board TV!


Full-Time Physical Therapist - Join Metroplex Health System in Killeen as a Full-Time Physical Therapist in our Pediatric Rehabilitation Department. Metroplex offers a very competitive hourly wage and benefits plan. Join Metroplex in “Extending the Healing Ministry of Christ”.

Also, take a look at the most recent jobs posted to Job Board TV at KWTX.com:
View More Jobs.