California Family Returns From Weekend Away To Find Mother Dead
Virginia "Gina" Cantero was found dead in her home on Tuesday, September 7, after her husband and three teenage children returned from a weekend in Mexico.
"She had been deceased for an unknown amount of time but definitely several days," LAPD detective Christine Moselle told PEOPLE. "There is no evidence of forced entry."
"We are still developing a suspect but we have a person of interest," Moselle said.
Police do not suspect that the 36-year-old was the victim of a break-in or a burglary that went wrong. Her car was missing but was later recovered miles away from Cantero's home in LAPD's northeast division.
Her brother Sean Soto told NBC Los Angeles that he suspects his sister was killed not too long after her husband and children left. "I called her the last few days … no response," he said.
Soto and others reportedly said that there was someone close to his sister they did not trust and are now suspicious of, NBC Los Angeles reported. He said that he visited his sister on Friday, September 3, and everyone was gone except for the new friend. "He fooled us," he said.
Pal Estashia McGinnis told the outlet that Cantero was there for her when she lost her home. "She fed me, she clothed me," McGinnis 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," Soto said of his sister.
No arrests have been made. Moselle told PEOPLE that they were still waiting for Cantero's cause of death to be revealed.
Anyone with any information is encouraged to contact the Los Angeles Police Department.
