Now, let me tell y’all about a family from down in Lake Worth, Florida. This here story is about Fermin Cantu and his wife, Minerva. She was just 26, and I tell you, that young woman had her hands full. Two young’uns to look after, a little boy just 18 months old and a daughter about 8 years old. Now, Minerva, bless her heart, she was a mama, but also one of them real go-getters. In her spare time, she’d be making jewelry, little bracelets and necklaces, and selling ’em down at the flea market.
Well, folks remember her last day clear as day, November 27, 1990. That was the day when everything changed. Around lunchtime, she chatted with a friend, saying she was off to pick up her daughter from school. Just a regular day, y’know? But Fermin Cantu, her husband, he came home later and found their place in such a way he’d never forget. Minerva wasn’t there to greet him, and things just didn’t seem right. You see, Fermin found his wife had passed, and it wasn’t no natural thing neither.
Police Investigation
The cops came over that day, all official-like, taking down notes and looking for clues. They suspected maybe it was a robbery, ‘cause Minerva’s jewelry might’ve made her a target. Imagine, a mother just trying to make a little something for her family, and this is how it turns out. But they couldn’t just say for sure, so they had to dig deeper. The fella in charge of this case, now he didn’t give up easy. He looked through everything and left no stone unturned. It was a cold case for years, but they stayed at it like a hound on a scent.
Now, while all this was going on, folks was worried about the kids. Minerva’s daughter was at school, bless her heart, but her son, that little 18-month-old, he was there in the house the whole time. Found him sitting in his crib, not a scratch on him. Poor little fella, didn’t even know what had happened to his mama. They said he was unharmed, and that’s a blessing, but what a thing to grow up with, not knowing his mama.
The Family and Community’s Pain
Now, this here case wasn’t just another news story. Fermin Cantu, he was left to pick up the pieces, taking care of those kids on his own. People in the community rallied around him; they was good folks, trying to help however they could. See, in small towns, people look out for each other. Neighbors brought food, friends watched the kids when he had to go out, and folks did what they could to ease his burden. But that loss, it’s a heavy thing, and time don’t always make it lighter.
For years, people wondered who could’ve done such a thing. It’s one thing to hear about these big city crimes on the news, but it’s different when it’s someone you know, someone from your own town. Everybody was keeping an ear out for any news, and it became one of those stories that folks’d talk about every now and then, wondering if they’d ever find the person responsible.
Justice and the Arrest
Now, they say the wheels of justice turn mighty slow sometimes, but eventually, they do turn. Years later, the police finally got a break in the case. Now I don’t know all the fancy terms they used, but they finally had enough to go on. They made an arrest, and there was talk around town. The newspapers said it loud and clear, “Mother’s Killer Found” and all sorts. Folks in Lake Worth, they breathed a little easier that day, knowing that maybe, just maybe, there’d be justice for Minerva.
See, justice doesn’t always come right away. Sometimes it’s like planting a seed—you water it, you wait, and then one day, it sprouts. This family finally got some answers, though it didn’t bring Minerva back. But it did bring some peace, and that’s worth something.
Remembering Minerva
To this day, folks in Lake Worth remember Minerva Cantu. They remember her as a mother, a wife, and a young woman with dreams, trying to make a life for her family. And in a way, her memory still lives on, like a small light in that town. She might be gone, but people still remember her kindness, her jewelry at the flea market, and the way she loved her kids. And that, I think, is something that can’t be taken away.
Life is tough, and sometimes it ain’t fair. But when folks come together to remember someone like Minerva, to offer help to the family, it shows that kindness is still strong, even in the hardest times. It’s something real, and that’s how Minerva’s story should be remembered, I reckon.
Tags：Lake Worth, Minerva Cantu, Fermin Cantu, cold case, justice