TRACY, California: Police and residents of this northern California town were shocked when the suspect in the killing of an 8-year-old girl found stuffed into a suitcase turned out to be a woman, the mother of the slain girl's best friend.

Melissa Huckaby, a Sunday school teacher and granddaughter of a minister, was on suicide watch on Saturday at the San Joaquin County Jail, where she was being held without bail on suspicion of kidnapping and killing 8-year-old Sandra Cantu.

Sandra's body was found in one of Huckaby's suitcases in an irrigation pond nearly a week ago, police said.