ORLANDO, Fla. -- Evidence mounted Friday that a child's skull discovered near Caylee Anthony's home belonged to the missing toddler, although investigators cautioned it could be a week or more before they have conclusive DNA evidence.
A day after a utility worker found the remains of a child in a wooded lot, a defense attorney said some characteristics of the remains matched 3-year-old Caylee, while Orange County Sheriff Kevin Beary said clues linked the remains to the child's nearby home.
...One of her attorneys, Linda Kenney Baden, said during a court hearing Friday that "anthropological measurements and hair color" of the remains were said to match Caylee.
Beary said earlier Friday that a search of the grandparents' home where the mother and daughter lived had also yielded links to the remains that he would not reveal. There are no other similar missing-child cases in the area.
Beary said earlier Friday that a search of the grandparents' home where the mother and daughter lived had also yielded links to the remains that he would not reveal. There are no other similar missing-child cases in the area.
Asked if he believed it was Caylee, Beary said: "My gut says yes, but I have to wait seven to 14 days for the DNA analysis to absolutely make sure." (Was this a smart-ass remark mimicing Casey's "my gut says she's ok, that she's close to home"? If so, way-to-g0 Beary.)
The judge still denied a defense motion to examine the remains, saying they must wait for positive identification.
The middle-class Orlando suburb where the family lived waited for the identification of the child with sadness and some hope the wrenching saga could soon end.
...When a utility employee told the 911 dispatcher that one of its workers found a skull in "the Caylee Anthony area," the dispatcher exclaimed sadly, "Oh" and warned them not to disturb any evidence or call attention to the discovery until authorities arrive.
On Thursday and Friday crime scene vehicles lined the area where the remains were found, within walking distance of the Anthony home, but gawkers were largely absent.
Stephanie Condenzio, 21, who lives down a street adjacent to the Anthonys, said she moved in to the area with its ranch-style homes about the time Caylee was reported missing. Condenzio said Friday that she feels sorry for Caylee but has little sympathy for the family.
"It's just been a circus around here ever since then," she said. "We really didn't know what to think."
Amanda Santiago, 35, who lives in the neighborhood and has a 5-year-old daughter said she had conflicting feelings about the discovery of the remains.
"You feel relieved that this family has closure," she said. "But you feel sadness because when you're a parent, you know how that feels. You couldn't even imagine losing a child. It breaks your heart."
Casey Anthony has insisted that she left the girl with a baby sitter in mid-June, but she didn't report Caylee missing for another month. The child's grandmother first called authorities in July to say that she hadn't seen Caylee for a month, and that her daughter's car smelled like death.
For the past several months, Anthony's family, police and volunteers from around the country have searched for the girl. But as the case unfolded, suspicion fell on Casey Anthony. There were photos of her partying after her daughter went missing, and police said she lied about where she worked and other details of her daughter's disappearance.
Last month, officials released documents showing someone used a computer at the Anthony home to conduct Internet searches for terms like "neck breaking" and "household weapons."
Casey Anthony was told about the discovery in jail on Thursday, and was placed under psychological observation -- not suicide watch. Her attorney, Jose Baez, visited her and said Friday she was "struggling" with the news.
Casey Anthony was told about the discovery in jail on Thursday, and was placed under psychological observation -- not suicide watch. Her attorney, Jose Baez, visited her and said Friday she was "struggling" with the news.
"We're doing our best to keep her focused," Baez said.
Defense Motion Denied
Orange County Judge Stan Strickland denied a defense motion requesting that its experts observe the autopsy of the discovered remains.
Baez filed the emergency motion on Thursday shortly after the remains were found.
The state said it would agree to notify the defense when FBI agents and investigators complete the search of the wooded area, which could be completed by Friday night. Local 6 News reported that the defense may have to hire a security team to preserve the crime scene.
The state said it would agree to notify the defense when FBI agents and investigators complete the search of the wooded area, which could be completed by Friday night. Local 6 News reported that the defense may have to hire a security team to preserve the crime scene.
The hearing lasted about 30 minutes, and Casey Anthony was not in attendance.
Timeline Revisited
After the discovery of the remains, Local 6 News investigative reporter Tony Pipitone revisted cell phone records released in the Casey Anthony case to track her whereabouts.
Caylee was last seen June 16, the day George Anthony said he last saw his daughter and granddaughter together.
Caylee was last seen June 16, the day George Anthony said he last saw his daughter and granddaughter together.
"Ten minutes to 1 (o'clock) that afternoon on the 16th is when I actually saw Casey and Caylee together -- both leaving with backpacks. My daughter said she was going to work, and she was taking Caylee to the nanny, to the babysitter," George Anthony said in a released police interview.
Investigators said they do not believe the baby sitter existed.
Seven hours later, Casey Anthony was seen on surveillance video renting a movie at a Blockbuster with her boyfriend, Tony Lazzaro, and Caylee was not with them.
Casey Anthony returned home on Tuesday, June 17 around 2:30 p.m. but went back toward Lazzaro's home less than three hours later, phone records show.
But June 17 was just one day after Caylee was last seen alive, and investigators believe that's when Caylee likely died, Pipitone reported.
Scientific evidence suggests that human remains that decomposed in the trunk of Casey Anthony's car were there for up to two-and-a-half days after death.
Pipitone said that fact may lead investigators to focus on Wednesday, June 18 to June 19.
A neighbor told investigators that Casey Anthony borrowed a shovel on June 18 and also backed her car into her grandparents' garage, which was unusual, the neighbor said.
A neighbor told investigators that Casey Anthony borrowed a shovel on June 18 and also backed her car into her grandparents' garage, which was unusual, the neighbor said.
Cell phone records show that Casey Anthony pinged a tower near her parents' home from around 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on June 18, then her phone pinged along the Econ Trail, south of Lake Underhill.
The area between those two locations is the wooded area where the remains and skull of a child were located on Thursday, Pipitone reported.
Casey Anthony's phone pinged near her boyfriend's apartment before going silent at 6:57 p.m., records show, and did not ping another tower until 8:32 a.m. Thursday, June 19, also near his apartment.
It is not known where Casey Anthony was during that 13-hour span.
Experts Discuss Discovery Of Remains
Pipitone also discussed the finding with a former prosecutor and a defense attorney, and the impact the discovery could have on the Casey Anthony case.
"What does it do to the state's case now that there' s a body?" Pipitone asked former prosecutor Elizabeth Rahter.
"Oh, it hugely bolsters the case. A jury is always a little reluctant to convict because they don't want to convict an innocent person. Absolutely you would not want to do that. So now, there's going to be no doubt that she's dead," Rahter said.
Defense attorney Cheney Mason said claims made by Casey Anthony and Baez that Caylee was alive will now work against them at trial.
"Then all the talking, all the press interviews and the parents going on this show and that show and the lawyer going on different shows establishes they have no credibility whatsoever," Mason said.
The testing of the remains could be the key to the case.
"The most important thing is how did she die?" Mason said. "It could have been an accidental death -- and we've talked before -- an improper disposal, it could have been a brutal homicide. We don't know, and until the medical examiner is finished and renders a report, no one is going to know."
Rahter said an accidental death would be hard to believe. "What would a reasonable person do in the case of an accident? Call 911 or call your parents or call a close friend. Do you go borrow a shovel from a neighbor, probably not?" Rahter said. Mason said an insanity defense would be even more difficult to prove, Rahter said.
"It's really difficult to be not criminally responsible. You have to prove they know right from wrong and they understand the consequences of their actions. Obviously, Casey understood the consequences of her actions because she worked really hard to cover it up," Rahter said.
If the case plays out how many think, the experts agree on what will likely happen.
"You can pretty well predict there's going to be a life sentence, either a plea and get it over with or have a circus trial and then be convicted and get life," Mason said. "Yeah," Rahter said.
Pretrial Hearing
Local 6 has confirmed that a motion for a change of venue has been prepared by Baez, but the motion has not yet been filed. (Send her out here to the prairie. We'll give the guilty little skank her day in court, her fair trial)
A pretrial hearing was held Thursday morning in the first-degree murder case, and Baez waived his client's right to a speedy trial, and the case was moved to the court's March docket. A status hearing was scheduled with a tentative date of Jan. 15. Anthony's trial had been scheduled to begin Jan. 5.
Anthony did not attend the hearing.
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