JULIANI CARDENAS - 4 yo - Patterson/Stanislaus CA

Hope for missing Patterson boy burns at Modesto vigil


Downloads of fliers of son, suspected abductor urged

The past 13 days have been nearly unbearable for Tabitha
Cardenas, the 29-year-old Patterson mother whose 4-year-old son was
kidnapped."It gets real hard," she said. "Like, I'll be sitting
in the living room. We have pictures of Juliani everywhere. I think,
'Where is he? When will he come home? God, when are you going to send me
a sign?Cardenas' burden was lifted briefly Sunday evening as
more than 60 people joined her in a vigil for her son in Modesto's
Graceada Park.



She holds out hope that Juliani will come home, although authorities
are sure the bodies of the boy and his abductor will be found in the
Delta-Mendota Canal. Authorities say Cardenas' former boyfriend, Jose
Esteban Rodriguez, snatched Juliani on Jan. 18 from the family home
while Cardenas was at school.Authorities say a farmworker spotted
a car matching Rodriguez's drive into the canal about an hour after the
kidnapping. The farmworker reported seeing a man and a boy in the car.Divers
pulled Rodriguez's Toyota Corolla from the canal Friday after searching
for nearly two weeks and pulling more than a dozen other vehicles from
the water. Two of the Corolla's windows had been rolled down.
Authorities said they expect the bodies to surface within two weeks.Authorities
have said there is no credible evidence that would lead them from the
canal. Rodriguez, 27, has not used his cell phone, debit card or credit
card since the kidnapping.The search now will rely on a
California Highway Patrol plane and sheriff's patrols along the canal
bank to spot any bodies in the water. Nothing had been spotted as of
Sunday night, according to the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department.But
those who gathered in the park Sunday believe Juliani is alive and will
be reunited with his mother and grandmother in their Patterson home."This
touches me," Modesto resident Sheleeze Alvarez said. "I have a
4-year-old son. I could not imagine a day without him. Not knowing where
he was would be devastating." … Those things really get to me. I have hope he is still alive."Organizers put the vigil together Saturday night, and word spread over the Facebook page www.facebook.com/FindJulianiCardenas.Cardenas urged people at the vigil to download fliers of her son and Rodriguez at the Polly Klaas Foundation (www.pollyklaas.org) and place them in their homes and cars where others can see them."We can be our own Amber Alert," she said.Cardenas
said she has scoured Modesto neighborhoods and liquor stores where
Rodriguez hangs out looking for any sign of her son and former
boyfriend.Rodriguez is not Juliani's father. But Cardenas is
pregnant with his child. Cardenas said the baby is a girl and is due
March 4. The baby will be named Jolyssa Rhianna.


Read more: http://www.modbee.com/2011/01/30/1535489/hope-for-missing-boy-burns-at.html#ixzz1CeodUzEX

A potentially grim development in the Juliani Cardenas abduction case. From News 10 Sacramento:

The Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department said Tuesday
morning it's responding to the report of a child's body found in the
Delta-Mendota Canal near Gustine.
Sheriff's officials did not say if the body found was connected to
the Amber Alert situation, in which two people were in a car that was
driven into the canal near Patterson.

The latest from KCRA:

Authorities said a body has been found in the
Delta-Mendota Canal near Santa Nella, but officials said it's unclear if
the discovery is related to the search for kidnapped 4-year-old Juliani
Cardenas.

These news sources are following the story:

• KCRA
  
• Modesto Bee
  
• Patterson Irrigator
  
• KTXL Sacramento
  

TomTerrific0420 wrote:A potentially grim development in the Juliani Cardenas abduction case. From News 10 Sacramento:

The Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department said Tuesday
morning it's responding to the report of a child's body found in the
Delta-Mendota Canal near Gustine.
Sheriff's officials did not say if the body found was connected to
the Amber Alert situation, in which two people were in a car that was
driven into the canal near Patterson.

The latest from KCRA:

Authorities said a body has been found in the
Delta-Mendota Canal near Santa Nella, but officials said it's unclear if
the discovery is related to the search for kidnapped 4-year-old Juliani
Cardenas.

These news sources are following the story:

• KCRA
  
• Modesto Bee
  
• Patterson Irrigator
  
• KTXL Sacramento
  

Driving home, 97.3 The Sky had a news segment that announced that they found a child's body in a canal and that it fit the description of Juliani.

inmyfloridaopinion wrote:

TomTerrific0420 wrote:A potentially grim development in the Juliani Cardenas abduction case. From News 10 Sacramento:

The Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department said Tuesday
morning it's responding to the report of a child's body found in the
Delta-Mendota Canal near Gustine.
Sheriff's officials did not say if the body found was connected to
the Amber Alert situation, in which two people were in a car that was
driven into the canal near Patterson.

The latest from KCRA:

Authorities said a body has been found in the
Delta-Mendota Canal near Santa Nella, but officials said it's unclear if
the discovery is related to the search for kidnapped 4-year-old Juliani
Cardenas.

These news sources are following the story:

• KCRA
  
• Modesto Bee
  
• Patterson Irrigator
  
• KTXL Sacramento
  

Driving home, 97.3 The Sky had a news segment that announced that they found a child's body in a canal and that it fit the description of Juliani.

So sad IMFO The farmer who saw the truck going into the canal with him inside it - doesn't sound like he called 911

kiwimom wrote:

inmyfloridaopinion wrote:

TomTerrific0420 wrote:A potentially grim development in the Juliani Cardenas abduction case. From News 10 Sacramento:

The Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department said Tuesday
morning it's responding to the report of a child's body found in the
Delta-Mendota Canal near Gustine.
Sheriff's officials did not say if the body found was connected to
the Amber Alert situation, in which two people were in a car that was
driven into the canal near Patterson.

The latest from KCRA:

Authorities said a body has been found in the
Delta-Mendota Canal near Santa Nella, but officials said it's unclear if
the discovery is related to the search for kidnapped 4-year-old Juliani
Cardenas.

These news sources are following the story:

• KCRA
  
• Modesto Bee
  
• Patterson Irrigator
  
• KTXL Sacramento
  

Driving home, 97.3 The Sky had a news segment that announced that they found a child's body in a canal and that it fit the description of Juliani.

So sad IMFO The farmer who saw the truck going into the canal with him inside it - doesn't sound like he called 911

I wonder why not.... it seems like a no-brainer to call 911.

Mother confirms boy pulled from Calif. canal was her missing son

PATTERSON, Calif.
The mother of a 4-year-old boy kidnapped two weeks ago by her former
boyfriend confirmed on her Facebook page that the child's body was
discovered Tuesday morning in a Central California canal. The
body of Juliani Cardenas was found in the Delta-Mendota Canal near
Santa Nella, about 30 miles south of where he lived with his mother and
grandmother in Patterson. Though law enforcement officials
said no positive identification had been made and wouldn't until DNA
testing is done, a posting at 11:10 a.m. PST on Tabitha Cardenas'
Facebook page said:
"I have the worst news in the world to tell you all ... My
son's body has been found in the canal no DNA has confirmed it but it's
his clothes and shoes have and it's a 4 year old boy. So I want
everyone to pray that Jose's body is found so we can all know that he's
burning in HELL and I don't have to worry about him taking my unborn
baby girl." Tabitha Cardenas is about 8 1/2 months' pregnant.
She has said the father is Jose Esteben Rodriguez, her 27-year-old
former boyfriend who is suspected of kidnapping Juliani on Jan. 18. Two minutes after the first Cardenas' first Facebook message, she wrote this: "I'm not talking to the press or anyone else I just had to let you
all know before the news does. ... I love you all very much and my son
does too. He's my lil angel now and believe me I'm crying as I am
writing this to you all." The search for Juliani has focused
on the canal, from which the Toyota Corolla belonging to Rodriguez was
pulled Friday. No bodies were in the car. Stanislaus County Sheriff's Deputy Royjindar Singh said there would be a news conference later Tuesday. Singh did not know who found the body, exactly when it was found or
any other circumstances. It was discovered near the Santa Nella
national veterans' cemetery at midmorning. Juliani's family was informed, Singh said. Father Bernard Quinn of Sacred Heart Catholic Parish in Patterson,
who baptized the child, was inside the house Tuesday morning after
Tabitha Cardenas and her mother, Amparo Cardenas, learned of the
discovery. Juliani was grabbed from Amparo Cardenas' arms in front of
their home. Quinn said the women were holding up amazingly well. "They feel supported and strengthened by the community," he said. Late Tuesday morning, an ambulance was parked in front of the home where Juliani lived. The Merced County Sheriff's Department issued this statement: "A small child was pulled from the Delta-Mendota Canal (whose)
physical and clothing description match that of the missing Amber Alert
child from Stanislaus County. No positive identification has been made
and will not be made until DNA testing is done." Cym Berlynn,
who identified herself as a family friend, said a vigil planned for
Tuesday would go on at North Park in Patterson. A prayer service was
planned as part of the observance. Tabitha Cardenas has
maintained since the kidnapping that Rodriguez would not hurt her son to
get back at her, rejecting the idea that he would have driven the car
into the canal. She also urged authorities to conduct a wider search for
him. She believed he could be in hiding with her child.
There had been no electronic signal from Rodriguez other than a
Patterson convenience store security camera spotting him Jan. 18 before
the abduction. Rodriguez had not used a credit card, ATM card or his
cell phone since the kidnapping. Since ending the search of
canal water by divers Saturday, authorities have relied on a California
Highway Patrol airplane and sheriff's patrols along the canal bank to
spot any bodies in the water. The patrols have been searching along the
canal bank since Monday. Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam
Christianson said last week that in cold weather it might take as long
as two weeks for a body to float to the surface. Singh asked tipsters
who spot a body in the canal to call 911 to ensure the nearest police
agency is alerted. To continue to send dive teams into the
water to search for the bodies in the 117-mile canal that runs south
from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to Mendota would be an inefficient
use of resources and manpower, Christianson said. Rodriguez
is not the boy's biological father. Tabitha Cardenas had a tumultuous
relationship with Rodriguez for about three years before it ended a few
months ago. She is pregnant with Rodriguez's child. Rodriguez
was convicted of manslaughter in 1999 and also has been charged with
unlawful sexual intercourse and drunken driving, law enforcement
officials said. After their breakup, he stalked Cardenas, according to her mother, Amparo Cardenas. About 4 p.m. on Jan. 18, while Tabitha Cardenas was at college,
sheriff's officials said, Rodriguez drove to the home where Juliani
lived with his mother and grandmother. Rodriguez drove up in the Toyota Corolla, pulled Juliani from his grandmother's arms and drove away, officials said. About 5 p.m., a farm worker on his way home spotted a car matching
the description of the suspect's vehicle, with a boy and a man inside,
on the canal bank just north of a series of pipes that funnels the
canal's water underneath Del Puerto Creek. The witness said
he saw the car drive into the canal, but he panicked and didn't inform
sheriff's officials until the following day. Christianson has
said the search still would have been a recovery mission had the farm
worker informed authorities immediately because a rescue could not have
occurred in time to save anyone.

Read more: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/02/01/1845794/mother-confirms-boy-pulled-from.html#ixzz1CkFoxvLI

kiwimom wrote:Mother confirms boy pulled from Calif. canal was her missing son

PATTERSON, Calif.
The mother of a 4-year-old boy kidnapped two weeks ago by her former
boyfriend confirmed on her Facebook page that the child's body was
discovered Tuesday morning in a Central California canal. The
body of Juliani Cardenas was found in the Delta-Mendota Canal near
Santa Nella, about 30 miles south of where he lived with his mother and
grandmother in Patterson. Though law enforcement officials
said no positive identification had been made and wouldn't until DNA
testing is done, a posting at 11:10 a.m. PST on Tabitha Cardenas'
Facebook page said:
"I have the worst news in the world to tell you all ... My
son's body has been found in the canal no DNA has confirmed it but it's
his clothes and shoes have and it's a 4 year old boy. So I want
everyone to pray that Jose's body is found so we can all know that he's
burning in HELL and I don't have to worry about him taking my unborn
baby girl." Tabitha Cardenas is about 8 1/2 months' pregnant.
She has said the father is Jose Esteben Rodriguez, her 27-year-old
former boyfriend who is suspected of kidnapping Juliani on Jan. 18. Two minutes after the first Cardenas' first Facebook message, she wrote this: "I'm not talking to the press or anyone else I just had to let you
all know before the news does. ... I love you all very much and my son
does too. He's my lil angel now and believe me I'm crying as I am
writing this to you all." The search for Juliani has focused
on the canal, from which the Toyota Corolla belonging to Rodriguez was
pulled Friday. No bodies were in the car. Stanislaus County Sheriff's Deputy Royjindar Singh said there would be a news conference later Tuesday. Singh did not know who found the body, exactly when it was found or
any other circumstances. It was discovered near the Santa Nella
national veterans' cemetery at midmorning. Juliani's family was informed, Singh said. Father Bernard Quinn of Sacred Heart Catholic Parish in Patterson,
who baptized the child, was inside the house Tuesday morning after
Tabitha Cardenas and her mother, Amparo Cardenas, learned of the
discovery. Juliani was grabbed from Amparo Cardenas' arms in front of
their home. Quinn said the women were holding up amazingly well. "They feel supported and strengthened by the community," he said. Late Tuesday morning, an ambulance was parked in front of the home where Juliani lived. The Merced County Sheriff's Department issued this statement: "A small child was pulled from the Delta-Mendota Canal (whose)
physical and clothing description match that of the missing Amber Alert
child from Stanislaus County. No positive identification has been made
and will not be made until DNA testing is done." Cym Berlynn,
who identified herself as a family friend, said a vigil planned for
Tuesday would go on at North Park in Patterson. A prayer service was
planned as part of the observance. Tabitha Cardenas has
maintained since the kidnapping that Rodriguez would not hurt her son to
get back at her, rejecting the idea that he would have driven the car
into the canal. She also urged authorities to conduct a wider search for
him. She believed he could be in hiding with her child.
There had been no electronic signal from Rodriguez other than a
Patterson convenience store security camera spotting him Jan. 18 before
the abduction. Rodriguez had not used a credit card, ATM card or his
cell phone since the kidnapping. Since ending the search of
canal water by divers Saturday, authorities have relied on a California
Highway Patrol airplane and sheriff's patrols along the canal bank to
spot any bodies in the water. The patrols have been searching along the
canal bank since Monday. Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam
Christianson said last week that in cold weather it might take as long
as two weeks for a body to float to the surface. Singh asked tipsters
who spot a body in the canal to call 911 to ensure the nearest police
agency is alerted. To continue to send dive teams into the
water to search for the bodies in the 117-mile canal that runs south
from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to Mendota would be an inefficient
use of resources and manpower, Christianson said. Rodriguez
is not the boy's biological father. Tabitha Cardenas had a tumultuous
relationship with Rodriguez for about three years before it ended a few
months ago. She is pregnant with Rodriguez's child. Rodriguez
was convicted of manslaughter in 1999 and also has been charged with
unlawful sexual intercourse and drunken driving, law enforcement
officials said. After their breakup, he stalked Cardenas, according to her mother, Amparo Cardenas. About 4 p.m. on Jan. 18, while Tabitha Cardenas was at college,
sheriff's officials said, Rodriguez drove to the home where Juliani
lived with his mother and grandmother. Rodriguez drove up in the Toyota Corolla, pulled Juliani from his grandmother's arms and drove away, officials said. About 5 p.m., a farm worker on his way home spotted a car matching
the description of the suspect's vehicle, with a boy and a man inside,
on the canal bank just north of a series of pipes that funnels the
canal's water underneath Del Puerto Creek. The witness said
he saw the car drive into the canal, but he panicked and didn't inform
sheriff's officials until the following day. Christianson has
said the search still would have been a recovery mission had the farm
worker informed authorities immediately because a rescue could not have
occurred in time to save anyone.

Read more: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/02/01/1845794/mother-confirms-boy-pulled-from.html#ixzz1CkFoxvLI

Maybe the farmer had a personal reason for not wanting to alert the cops and thereby bring attention to himself.

Authorities said Tuesday they found the body of a 4-year-old boy in a
Central California canal, capping the search for the child who was
kidnapped from his home two weeks ago.A water department worker
spotted Juliani Cardenas' body floating in the Delta-Mendota Canal and
called 911 around 7:30 a.m., said Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam
Christianson. The body was found about 30 miles downstream from where a
vehicle belonging to the man suspected of kidnapping Juliani was
recovered last week."From the very beginning, we wanted to find
little Juliani alive. That was our goal," Christianson said. But as the
days progressed, "we just knew that wouldn't happen."Investigators
have not located the suspect, who is the ex-boyfriend of Juliani's
mother, but they believe his body also will be found in the canal,
Christianson said.The man, 27-year-old Jose Rodriguez, is accused
of taking Juliani from the boy's home in Patterson on Jan. 18. A
homicide warrant has been issued for Rodriguez, Christianson said.Search
teams began combing the canal after a farmworker told authorities he
saw a car matching the description of Rodriguez's silver Toyota Corolla
going into the water shortly after the abduction.Rodriguez's
Corolla was pulled from the bottom of the canal Friday, with no signs of
the boy or suspect inside. There was no evidence Rodriguez fled the
scene after the car went into the water, Christianson said.Rodriguez,
who has an extensive criminal record that includes an involuntary
manslaughter conviction, is accused of snatching Juliani from the arms
of the boy's grandmother outside the family home. Authorities have not
discussed a motive, but Juliani's mother, Tabitha Cardenas, has said she
recently ended her three-year relationship with Rodriguez.In
Juliani's tight-knit neighborhood, where yellow and purple ribbons were
pinned on trees, residents gathered after learning about the tragic
discovery. Many of the parked vehicles still had "missing" fliers
attached to their windows.Police tape blocked access to the
cul-de-sac where Juliani's family lives. Family members did not come
outside to speak with reporters.Patterson City Councilwoman
Deborah Novelli, who visited the family Tuesday afternoon, said they
were angry at Rodriguez and unable to understand why this happened."They are trying to understand: Where was his head? What was he thinking?" Novelli said, her eyes red from tears.Darlene
Vanderbilt, a neighbor who was home the day Juliani was kidnapped,
recalled coming out of her house after she heard screams and seeing
Rodriguez's car whipping down the street. She said the memory keeps
replaying in her head."It just hurts. It brings it all back,"
said Vanderbilt, standing in her driveway a few doors down from
Juliani's home. "We couldn't do anything more than what we did: call the
police and get them looking for him."Another neighbor, Suzie Ambers, described Juliani as a beautiful, sweet child who loved life."We were all praying and hoping it would turn out different," Ambers said. "But in our hearts, we knew."Ambers
said their focus now must shift to Tabitha Cardenas, who is eight
months pregnant with Rodriguez's child. An ambulance was parked outside
the family home Tuesday, in case the expectant mother needed to be taken
to the hospital."We are with Tabitha," Ambers said. "The whole block is supporting her."

Autopsy Results Show Juliani Cardenas Drowned

MODESTO (KRON) -- Autopsy results show the young boy presumed to be four-year old Juliani Cardenas died of drowning.

The Stanislaus County Sheriff's department released those results late Tuesday. DNA tests that will confirm the body's identity won't be available for a couple of weeks, authorities say.

However, investigators say the remains, found in the Delta-Mendota Canal Tuesday, match Juliani's physical description and were clad in the same "Spiderman" shoes and pajamas the missing child was wearing when he was kidnapped from his grandmother's arms on January 18th.

Juliani's mother's ex-boyfriend Jose Rodriguez is wanted on murder and kidnapping charges but police believe he is also dead in the canal. Authorities found Rodriguez's car in the canal last week.

The Cardenas family is reportedly still planning the child's funeral.

Stay tuned to KRON 4 and KRON4.com for the latest on the search for Rodriguez and the investigation into Juliani's death.

http://www.kron4.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=156

DNA Results: Body Found In Canal Is Juliani Cardenas



PATTERSON, Calif. -- DNA results show that a body found in the Delta-Mendota Canal is that of Juliani Cardenas, according to the California Department of Justice.


Authorities said Cardenas was allegedly kidnapped by his mother's ex-boyfriend, Jose Esteban Rodriguez, in Patterson on Jan. 18.


The child's body was found Tuesday along a stretch of canal near Santa Nella, about 31 miles downstream from where a Toyota that Rodriquez was seen driving went into the water.


"Cheek swab samples from Juliani's mother Tabitha Cardenas were matched against samples taken during the autopsy of Juliani. Tabitha Cardenas was notified by detectives of the positive results," the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department said in a news release.



read more>

http://www.kcra.com/news/26752460/detail.html

The Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department has released the court
documents related to the kidnapping of 4-year-old Juliani Cardenas that
prompted an Amber Alert across California.

The documents detail
the day Cardenas was ripped from his grandmother's arms, and how the
suspect, Jose Rodriguez, had been showing up at the house repeatedly.

The documents also show the attempts to track Rodriguez's cell phone.

To read the court documents in their entirety, click here

http://www.fox40.com/news/headlines/ktxl-court-documents-detail-cardenas-kidnapping-20110208,0,1719841.story

Body found in canal believed to be kidnap suspect


PATTERSON, Calif. -- A body matching the description of the man suspected of kidnapping a 4-year-old boy was found Saturday in a Central California canal, authorities said.
The body was discovered around 8:30 a.m. in the Delta-Mendota Canal, near Patterson, by a water authority employee, the Stanislaus County sheriff's department said.
The body of the kidnapping victim, Juliani Cardenas, was found in the same canal on Feb. 1 further downstream, Sheriff Adam Christianson said.
According to Christianson, investigators were not able to recover fingerprints because the body had been in the water for too long.
But based on the physical description and clothing found on the body, Christianson said he believes it is that of Jose Rodriguez, 27.
"There are no other reports of missing persons, and there is no other evidence or information that leads us to believe that it is anyone other than Jose Rodriguez," Christianson said.
A positive identification, however, remained pending. An autopsy is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday.
Christianson said dental records could confirm the man's identification, but investigators will likely need DNA samples. A DNA analysis would take two to three weeks, he said.

Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2011/02/12/3397841/ceremony-for-4-year-old-calif.html#ixzz1DmxWkJXc

Kidnapper of Juliani Cardenas Found Floating in Canal
February 12, 2011 11:05 PM EST

The alleged kidnapper of Juliani Cardenas was found dead in
the same canal where his four-year-old victim was found dead. The body,
believed to be that of Jose Esteban Rodriguez's, 27, was found in the
Delta-Mendota Canal Saturday morning. His car had been found in the
canal about a little over one week ago.Jose Rodriguez has a long
criminal background that includes a 1999 involuntary manslaughter
conviction, unlawful sexual intercourse and assault and battery.
Rodriguez was last seen alive January 18 when he took
the four-year-old from the arms of his grandmother.Last
February 1, the lifeless body Juliani Cardenas was pulled from the same
canal about 30 miles down stream from where Rodriguez was found today.
Tabitha Cardenas, the child’s mother, is pregnant with a child belonging
to Rodriguez’s at this time. She had ended their relationship prior to
the kidnapping.At the time the child was found,
police mentioned that they believed Rodriguez's body would turn up in
the same canal, because there was no sign he had exited the canal where
his car was found underwater. Police gave no other information why they
believed he would be found dead, however, one could speculate this was
murder by suicide.Thankfully, a man who is willing to commit such
a crime against a child is off the streets. However, this story seems
to leave a lot to be answered. Did he kidnap the child and kill both
himself and Juliani Cardenas as a way to punish the child's mother for
some unmentioned offense?Alternatively, was he depressed and
accidentally lost control of his car while intending to get attention
from the child's mother? No matter what his motive was, both he and the
child are dead, and the people he left behind will never be the same.

http://news.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474979049417

Newborn Brightens Days for Mom Grieving Son's Murder

March 8, 2011


A little sunlight has finally shone on the family of Juliani Cardenas, the 4-year-old discovered dead last month in California. His mom has given birth to a healthy baby girl.

If you followed the Juliani Cardenas story, here's betting you breathed a little sigh of relief for Tabitha Cardenas.

It's hard to put into words how it made me feel, but I read the story of little Jolyssa Rhianna Cardenas' birth with a huge grin on my face today. Obviously, the cases of murdered children never have happy endings. How can they? But that doesn't mean there can't ever be happy stories for the families of those kids. If there's ever a kind of person who deserves happy stories, it's a mom who lost a child. A baby seems just right too. Because there's something about babies ... they are, by their very nature, joyful. They come to this world with no baggage. They are not mean, hateful, or spiteful. They are -- yes, I'm going to go into cliched territory -- hope.

And after an ordeal like Cardenas', boy does she deserve some hope.

In case you weren't following the case: allegedly it was Jolyssa's father who ripped the 4-year-old from the arms of his grandmother in January, put him in his car, and sped away. The family never saw the little boy alive again.

He was discovered in a canal in mid-February.

I wondered at the time how Tabitha would fare with her pregnancy. That the stress didn't put her into premature labor alone was incredible. But I confess I wondered too, would she put too much pressure on this kid because of the loss of her other one?

I shudder when people who find out I have one child ask me if it's wise to stop at one, who ask "what if something happens to her?"

One child cannot replace another, and fortunately Tabitha isn't laying that burden on her daughter. Jolyssa isn't like some consolation prize for her mom. She's just a gift, a wonderful, happy gift. For a family who has been through tragedy no family should ever experience, it's nice to hear they have a healthy little girl. In fact, both Mom and baby are doing well. Tabitha decided against naming her daughter in her son's honor, but when the little girl gets bigger, she'll tell her about a little boy who loved his little sister.