Baez Plans To Fight Casey Anthony Case Gag Order

Also: Padilla Plans Return To Search For Caylee
November 24, 2008

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Attorney Jose Baez, in his first extensive interview in several weeks, said he plans to fight a gag order in the Casey Anthony case when he goes to court on Tuesday.

Baez, in an exclusive interview with WESH 2 reporter Bob Kealing, also criticized the Orange County Sheriff’s Office for saying it was not searching for Caylee Anthony, who was reported missing in July.

“I don’t think you should gamble with the life of a child on strategies,” he said. “The fact is they haven’t found her. They don’t know where she is. They don’t know what happened to her, so they should constantly be looking for her.”

Casey Anthony is charged with killing Caylee. She is in Orange County Jail on no bond, with her trial scheduled to start in January.

A judge is scheduled to hear several motions on Tuesday afternoon, including one from prosecutors to limit what Baez and others can say publicly about the case.

Baez has not talked extensively with the media since Casey Anthony was indicted last month.
During the interview at his Osceola County office, Baez also criticized law enforcement for leaking information about the case. And he said Casey Anthony will not be in court on Tuesday.

Bounty Hunter Plans Return To Search For Caylee

The bounty hunter in the search for missing Caylee Anthony said he has raised more than $50,000 and plans to come back to Central Florida.
Padilla said he plans to come back soon to search for Caylee's remains.
This news came on the heels of a rough week for the Anthony family.

On Friday, the state released videotaped interviews between the Anthonys and investigators.
Grandfather George Anthony said he suspects Caylee's mother -- his daughter, Casey Anthony -- stole money from her mother, Cindy, and from Caylee's piggy bank.

On Thursday, the attorney representing the Anthonys said he's out. Mark Nejame announced he will no longer represent the family.

On Wednesday, WESH 2 News was the first to report that the Orange County Sheriff's Office will no longer follow up on live sightings of Caylee. Orange County police said they believe the toddler is dead.

Padilla said he wants a thorough search of the bottom of the Little Econlockhatchee River with divers using sifting screens. Those screens would allow water and sand to fall through, but not the kinds of things alligators won't eat, like toys, plastic bags and human teeth. Padilla said he's planning an exhaustive new search of the bottom of the river in hopes of finding Caylee's remains.

"A lot of people might think exactly that," Padilla said, referring to the face that some people have called him crazy. "But I've been a voice in the wilderness before. I have some money now -- in the neighborhood of $50,000 pledged."

Padilla said he has been assured by experts that some human remains and other evidence could still be in the river, even though it has been five months since Caylee's disappearance.
"In checking with people that know alligators, they won't eat plastic stuff, garbage bags, and they will not eat teeth," Padilla said.

That's why Padilla said he wants search teams to use sifting screens. He said he's confident he can raise $200,000 and be back by early January.

Meanwhile, the Kid Finder's Network released a picture on Friday of a young girl seen at the Florida Mall in Orlando. The child resembles Caylee. So far, Kid Finders said it has gotten little help from the public in their efforts to find out who the girl is.

"It's very urgent to get the picture out there," said Michelle Bart, of Kid Finders. "If it's not Caylee, we want to know."

Padilla said he has not been given a polygraph by the Orange County Sheriff's Office and does not know when that will happen. He reiterated that he did not plant evidence at the river two weeks ago.