Murder Charge For Missing Fla. Girl's Mom

Mother Of 3-Year-Old Caylee Anthony Had Already Been Charged With Child Neglect, Lying To Investigators

(CBS/ AP)  The mother of a missing 3-year-old girl was accused Tuesday in an indictment of killing her daughter, prosecutors said, even though the child's body has not been found during an exhaustive four-month search.

A grand jury returned charges of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter and four counts of lying to investigators against Casey Anthony in the death of her daughter, Caylee, State Attorney Lawson Lamar said. The mother is being held without bond.

A few hours before the sealed indictment was issued, the 22-year-old Anthony stood silently, sometimes crying, as her attorney told reporters she is innocent.

"Casey is going through a nightmare," Jose Baez said. "I sincerely believe that when we have finally spoken, everyone, and I mean everyone, will sit back and say, 'Now, I understand. That explains it."

Casey Anthony's father, George, testified Tuesday behind closed doors to the 19-member grand jury along with a detective, a cadaver dog handler and an FBI agent.

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.

Casey Anthony told authorities that she had left her daughter with a baby sitter in June, and that the two were gone when she returned from work. She says she spent the next month trying to find her daughter and didn't call authorities because she was scared.

Investigators immediately started poking holes in her story. The apartment where Casey Anthony said she had left her daughter had been vacant for months, they said. They said she also lied when she told them she had been working at an area theme park as a photographer.

Investigators also accused her of stealing checks from a friend and cashing them. She was charged with felony child neglect and making false statements along with forgery and theft. She was released on $500,000 bail and confined to her parents' home.

Baez called a news conference at his office Tuesday afternoon. The lawyer commented on speculation about his client's seemingly unexplainable behavior, reports CBS affiliate Local 6 in Orlando, and why Casey waited more than a month after her daughter's disappearance to seek help from law enforcement agencies - which insist the woman was uncooperative in their search for the missing girl. Then he lashed out at those agencies.

"The question should be posed and turned around toward law enforcement as to why they are behaving the way they are," Baez said. "Why they are attempting to circumvent our Constitution?"

Meanwhile, the grandmother of missing Caylee Anthony is blaming politics and the upcoming election on recent leaks concerning the case of her daughter, Casey, reports Local 6.

"I feel that a lot of what is going on right now is a political move on the state attorney's office - Lawson Lamar," Anthony said. "I feel that right now I think the reason these leaks are being let out - especially about the grand jury is because of the upcoming election."

[psychfl08]

You all condemn her without any proof of the prosecutions claim. You condemn her before the evidence is even shown to you. You condemn her because you are outraged at the situation not because she is guilty.

Stop thinking like a mob and think for yourself. Innoncent until proven guilty.

[good4always]

Why? Because she knows the child is dead."
Posted by Kaliwind

Any reason not to go for the death penalty?
------------------------------------------------------

Posted by smurfcrusher at 05:18 PM : Oct 14, 2008


YES.... because they will give her injection which is a fun way of dying.


NO .... if they promist to give her death in a ZOO only .... where no children are present... and then throw her in the LIONS cage.

[nursehope]

This type of situation leads one to believe that abortion may have been a better option for this poor child than being drugged and burned.

[cepe10-2009]

Why do the prosecutors try to taint and bias the case - easy one because they are unlawful criminals.

[dagrandma]

CarlyLaine: Is someone tying you up and forcing you to watch episodes of Nancy Grace? If not, then you should go down to Radio Shack and get this marvelous thing called a remote control. It allows you to change the channel and watch anything you want. I don''t particularly care for Nancy Grace myself so I don''t watch her. Maybe you should do the same.

[creeper00]

Posted by Sunbum33919 at 09:49 AM : Oct 15, 2008

Sunbum,

That''s chloroFORM, not chlorophyll.

[good4always]

"Meanwhile, the grandmother of missing Caylee Anthony is blaming politics and the upcoming election"


WHAT REPUBLICAN PARTY HAS TO DO WITH IT??

[good4always]

Upcoming election? Is grandmother an idiot or what?
--------------------------
Posted by godseyesore at 09:49 AM : Oct 15, 2008


NO. she is not idiot.

SHE IS AN ACCOMPLICE IN HER OWN GRAND DAUGHTER MURDER.

[babykeeper]

I am a mother and if my child was out of sight for a mintues I get scared there is crazy people out there, that don''t care what they do to children, this woman is crazy as a bed bug, she needs alot of help and maybe prison will do that for her. Yes it would not bring her daughter home but remember she is in Heaven with a God that loves and will show her all that matters.

[good4always]

FINALLY!!!
FINALLY IT HAPPENED!! GASH!!


Now 1 of the 2 thnings below need to happen:


1. The mother except that she did it and be extremely completely sorry about it and serve her rest of her life behind bar.


2. Or she just commit suicide

[godseyesore-2009]

Upcoming election? Is grandmother an idiot or what?

[sunbum33919]

perhaps the state will take the death penalty off the table in return for the whereabouts of the body or the truth as to what really happened? I did hear that casey a. was in possession of chlorophyll or a rag with chlorophyll on it. Keep in mind that all the evidence was presented before a grand jury...19 people... hearing testimony then deciding if there is enough evidence to go forward. Even the father of casey testified before the grand jury; presumably not on behalf of casey. I don''t think I would have left the babysitter''s until I had my child safely in my arms....regardless of what it would take. And as far as the grandmother - boinkers!

[cheteunice]

I feel so sad for this poor cild regardless of what happened--she didn''t deserve this family or whatever happened to her.

[CMancos]

Let me tell you something, if I leave my kid with a babysitter and I go to get her and she is gone, I am going to call the cops like right now. There is to much BS in this girls mouth but she does deserve a fair trial. Look at that beautiful little girl and say to yourself, is this how a loving mother acts when her child has just dissapeared with a babysitter? She either killed this kid or sold her into so child porn *** ring. I don''t care how scared you are in a situation, you are going to put you kid first and your fear can take a back seat. The only thing they would be putting me in jail for is hunting the b i t ch down who took my kid, but I dont believe her story one bit. Also, she says the smell in her car was old pizza, a dead body and old pizza dont come close to smelling the same. What, not only cant she take care of her baby but she a real slob too? The only thing that stinks here is her entire story. I cant wait to know the truth if we ever will and Florida has the death penalty. It is a shame that she didnt love her child enough to keep her safe or give her to someone that would. They will tare her up in prison.

[babooph]

No body & a murder charge-that is VERY dangerous -smells bad.

[calicocat6]

I heard on the news that police in an unmarked vehicle arrested Casey Anthony as she was slipped from her mother''s car (under an overpass) and into her bail bondsman car! What''s up with that??? Once again, Cindy Anthony is giving mixed signals. She was the one who called 911 to report her granddaughter missing (not the child''s mother), etc., but she doesn''t want her daughter held accountable after all. I hope charges are pressed against Cindy Anthony for (1) destroying evidence when she washed the pants from the trunk and (2) perhaps orchestrating an escape from impending arrest.

[payasyougo]

"Meanwhile, the grandmother of missing Caylee Anthony is blaming politics and the upcoming election on recent leaks concerning the case of her daughter, Casey,"
----
The grandmother will eventually license the rights to this story so that she (the grandmother) can continue to gain attention from this. What a sad family.

[sunbum33919]

must agree with CalicoCat..... just think when you''ve been at the market and for only a few seconds you couldn''t see your child. Hysteria sets in. You''re frantic. Now imagine if your child were missing for a month or more....how insane would you be? As a mother, years ago when I needed to leave my child with a trusted person for a few days, I was calling every chance I could get for fear of "whatever". I would like to hear something from a Body Language expert....that might be interesting.

[calicocat6]

When I heard Jose Baez say, "I sincerely believe that when we have finally spoken, everyone, and I mean everyone, will sit back and say, ''Now, I understand. That explains it,''" I laughed out loud. What is this man thinking?? There is absolutely NOTHING rational about this woman''s behavior since Day One. Any red-blooded mother with an ounce of compassion would''ve been beside herself had her daughter been abducted, if indeed that was true, which is not in this case. And she wouldn''t have waited one month either. The smell of human decomposition is just that. You can''t buy it, manufacture it, imagine it. It was there. Unless someone was holding a gun to Casey''s head, which they weren''t, what rational person would make up a story like this unless to think that we''re all stupid and she was going to garner sympathy and be believed by all of us? It''s beyond ridiculous! Jose Baez will certainly make a name for himself on this one and he''s counting on that. If that helps him sleep at night, more power to him. But some of these postings sound like there are some pretty naive people out there and that scares me if they''re to be in a future jury pool. I, myself, couldn''t stomach being in the same room with Casey Anthony.

[calicocat6]

To Tubicha: The Sawgrass apartment had been empty for months and Casey claimed she had been there many times. Casey knew people who lived at the Sawgrass Apartments and used that location to cover her alibi. I believe Casey had been planning to eliminate Caylee for some time because (1) she was getting frustrated with having a child to appear to be looked after and maintaining an active social life and (2) Caylee was becoming a liability by being able to talk and tell her grandmother what was really going on when Casey was supposed to be taking her to the "nanny." It was only a matter of time.