Investigators with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office announced in a press conference Friday afternoon that the remains found earlier this month near the Anthony home do, in fact, belong to Caylee Marie Anthony. Medical examiner Dr. Jan C. Garavaglia said that the identification was made through a DNA match at the FBI lab in Quantico, Va. The match was between a bone found at the east Orange County site and a DNA sample from Caylee, she said.
Garavaglia said the death was by homicide, but she is not able yet to say how the child was killed. She also said the bones did not show any trauma caused before death, and said toxicology reports might not provide a full answer as to the cause of death.
Caylee’s mother, Casey Anthony, was told at 1:45 p.m. at the Orange County Jail, where she is being held on first-degree murder and other charges in connection with Caylee’s death.
The child’s grandparents, Cindy and George Anthony, also were told shortly before the 2 p.m. news conference.
Later Friday afternoon, their attorney, Brad Conway, said the family “didn’t give up hope” that Caylee was alive until they were told about the DNA results.
“As you can imagine, the Anthonys are grieving deeply over this loss,” said Conway, who asked the public and media to respect the family’s privacy.
Garavaglia said the remains that were found on Dec. 11 were bones only with no visible tissue.
“While I would love to explain the forensic aspects of this case to you, we must remember everyone is innocent until proven guilty,” Garavaglia said. “This case needs to be tried in a court of law and not the media, thus I will not discuss specifics of the finding of this case at this time.”
Orange County Sheriff Kevin Beary declined to say what, if anything, else was found at the scene.
The Search:
Caylee, who was 2 years old at the time of her disappearance, was reported missing in mid-July — a month after she was last seen.
A plastic bag containing a child’s skull with duct tape, several small bones, a tooth, long light hair and clothing was discovered by a meter reader working near a wooded area within one-third mile of the Anthony home in East Orange County (
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The same utility worker, Roy Kronk, called in tips on Aug. 11, 12, and 13, and Dec. 11, regarding the area where the remains were found last week (
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Kronk held a brief news conference on Friday with an attorney, who emphasized that Kronk has nothing to do with the Anthonys or the case, other than being the one to find the bones.
Capt. Angelo Nieves of OCSO said Kronk’s calls were handled differently. He said no deputy was brought to the scene after the first call, CrimeLine handled the second call and a deputy responded the third time the meter reader called regarding the scene.
Nieves said what happened in that timeframe is being looked into. Nieves clarified that the utility worker is not a suspect.
On Aug. 13, the tipster met with deputies in that area, but he told a source that the deputy saw a rattlesnake nearby in the woods and advised the tipster not to look back there with him.
After the deputy’s search, he cleared the area. It is unknown if the deputy looked in the exact same area where the remains were later discovered.
The deputy’s thoroughness, Orange County investigators said, is currently under administrative review.
The source said the meter reader had just been reassigned to that area again, which is why he went back in the woods to see what was there.
It is unclear if he was “relieving himself,” as investigators have previously said, or if he was going into the area to satisfy his own curiosity.
Over the past five months since Caylee was reported missing, several groups have assisted in search efforts.
Texas Equusearch scoured several areas, including the area near Jay Blanchard Park in East Orange County, turning up nothing (
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California-based bounty hunter Leonard Padilla also participated in the search. He initially became involved in the case when he bailed Casey Anthony out of jail the first time she was arrested on charges of child neglect. (
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Up until a child’s body was found, Caylee’s grandparents, George and Cindy Anthony, and Casey Anthony’s attorney, Jose Baez, maintained that Caylee was alive.
Early on, Casey Anthony claimed her daughter was taken by a nanny, Zenaida Gonzalez, who denies any involvement and is suing Casey Anthony for defamation of character. George and Cindy Anthony stood by their daughter. (
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Casey Anthony’s trial is scheduled to begin in March.
The Aftermath:
On Saturday, crime scene investigators cleared the scene where Caylee’s remains were found.
The police convoys left and officers posted “No Trespassing” signs in the area to keep onlookers out.
Nieves said the scene is no longer an active crime scene, but trespassing will not be allowed.
The scene, which was previously a heavily wooded area, had been completely cleared where the CSI detectives worked for nine straight days.
The OCSO also said the attorneys for the defense had been called to come check out the crime scene at about 11:30 a.m. Saturday, but they declined. The reason for their decline remains unknown.
Investigators also went to the Anthony home to tell the family members that they could take a look at the scene Saturday morning.
A search warrant was executed at the Anthony home at about 3:30 p.m. George and Cindy Anthony remained inside the home at the time of the search. The purpose of the search warrant was not disclosed.
Meanwhile, Casey’s attorney is seeking a change of venue, citing that his client will not be able to receive a fair trial in Orlando. He arrived at the home of Casey’s parents Friday evening, but the details of his visit were unknown.
Baez also expressed his anger over not being able to be the first person to tell Casey about her daughter’s remains.
“It’s just not a professional way of doing things, and I’m extremely disappointed in the manner this was carried out,” Baez said. “Like I said though, their lack of professionalism has become predictable and we were able to stay one step ahead of them and have someone here who knows Casey and could be the there to consol her in a situation.”
A jail representative fired back Friday night, saying Baez knew the chaplain would be the one to give Casey the news.
“We’ve given her no special treatment beyond what is required from the security and treatment standpoint,” said jail representative Allen Moore. “And for Mr. Baez to say we are unprofessional, I find very offensive.”
According to Orange County Jail’s public information officer, the media has indicated that Casey was notified of her daughter’s remains while in her jail cell.
Moore said that’s not the way it happened.
He said Casey was in an attorney interview room in the Female Detention Center when the notification was made by a jail chaplain. She had been moved to the attorney interview room earlier and had been meeting with attorney Jose Garcia at the time of notification, which was about 1:45 p.m.
One additional attorney visit with Casey occurred Friday night.
According Moore, Gabriel E. Adam — of the Baez Law Firm — was at the jail from about 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Moore said he did not anticipate additional updates over the weekend. The next update would be on Monday mid-morning, he said, unless there is a significant development — such as additional attorney visits.
Moore also said that if Casey wanted to go to her daughter’s funeral, she’ll need to get a judge to sign off on it.
Friday night, people drove by the Anthony family home and some placed stuff animals in a makeshift memorial.
Support and grief from the family came from all angles.
Michelle Bart, the owner of Helping Heroes Productions, released a statement on Friday regarding the child’s remains belonging to Caylee.
Bart works with the Kid Finders Network, a group who helped the Anthonys in the search for their granddaughter.
Bart’s statement is as follows:
“Today’s announcement that our little angel went home has been heartbreaking to say the least. Caylee Marie’s soul and beauty have captured many hearts throughout the world, including mine. I came to offer some media support and I’m leaving with a new understanding of how devastating it is on these families whose loved ones go missing. I had just moved from Los Angeles to Washington when I started tuning into Nancy Grace, I have the show to thank for bringing this little girl and her family into my life. Despite the circumstances leading to her disappearance, my role was to provide support in keeping her name and picture visible so we could bring her home; I never knew this angel would spark my spirit in such a way that ultimately would impact my life forever. Today is dark, but the tools this case has given me will light a way to brighter tomorrows for all families who never give up hope no matter the obstacles they face each day while searching for their angels.”
The news of the confirmation that the remains belonged to Caylee made national news on Friday.
MSNBC, CNN and the Associated Press all gave the story prominent placement.
It was also a big story on People Magazine’s Web site Friday night, and it was front and center on the National Enquirer
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