The Mystery Of Caylee Anthony’s Murder & What Happened To Her Mother Casey

Human Remains Identified

Law enforcement officials searched the area again. The first time, in August, it was a much smaller search. This time they found a child’s remains in a trash bag. Investigators also recovered duct tape that was hanging from the body’s hair and tissue on the skull. Police searched the spot over several days and found additional bones in the forested area near the location where the remains had first been discovered. Medical examiner Dr. Jan Garavaglia determined on Dec. 19, 2008, that the remains belonged to Casey Anthony. The child’s death was ruled a homicide although the cause of death was not determined.

The Evidence Piles Up

In April 2009, prosecutors decided that they would pursue the death penalty in the case against Casey Anthony. The trial took six weeks, from May to July 2011. One piece of evidence that was presented during the trial was hair recovered from Casey’s vehicle. The hair was similar to that tested from Caylee’s hairbrush and showed “root-banding,” which is what happens to the hair on a dead body. Forensic scientists also found chemical compounds “consistent with a decompositional event” in the trunk of Casey’s vehicle. The scientists also said there was chloroform in the car trunk, which would become a key part of the case.