Friday, December 19, 2008
FOX NEWS
Breaking News on Caylee Anthony
A skull and bones found near the Florida home of missing child Caylee Anthony are those of the little girl and she was the victim of a homicide, the medical examiner said Friday.
“With regret, I’m here to inform you that the skeletal remains are those of the missing toddler,” said Dr. Jan Garavaglia.
Garavaglia said the cause of death was ruled a homicide by unknown means, as the manner was not clear from the forensic analysis she was able to do.
Garavaglia said she determined the bones found in a privately-owned wooded lot were 2-year-old Caylee’s through nuclear DNA analysis.
“They are not intact. They are all disarticulated. They are completely skeletonized,” the medical examiner said. She said some of the bones found were “tiny.”
The news caps a six-month-long search for the little girl — who was last seen in mid-June but wasn’t reported missing by her mother until a month later. The mother, 22-year-old Casey Anthony, is behind bars without bond and charged with her daughter’s murder.
The child’s next of kin, including her maternal grandparents George and Cindy Anthony; Casey Anthony and other relatives, have been notified of the findings, Garavaglia said.
Ahead of the announcement, Florida police released evidence photos from the Caylee Anthony crime scene, among them one of a book they say they found in the woods that the child had been photographed reading before she vanished.
The pictures were among several cops publicized before the afternoon news briefing.
The book is among numerous pieces of evidence Orange County Sheriff’s deputies say they found in the wooded area where Caylee’s remains turned up.
FULL STORY [ HERE ]
