MEDIA REPORTS:No Discussion

[Blonde]

A family friend consoles Cindy and George Anthony in their front yard today. (Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel)
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-bk-casey-anthony-121708,0,5470400.story




posted by Klaasend

[Blonde]

Investigators may close crime scene 
 
Last Edited: Wednesday, 17 Dec 2008, 10:08 AM EST 
Created: Wednesday, 17 Dec 2008, 10:00 AM EST 

 ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35, Orlando) -- The Orange County Sheriff's Office is expected to wrap up their investigation at a crime site where the remains of a child were found last Thursday.

A utility worker discovered a bag that contained a human skull with duct tape around it and called authorities. The location where the remains were found are less than a quarter of a mile away from the home of George and Cindy Anthony.

Once they have completed their investigation of the site, the defense team representing 22-year-old Casey Anthony will be granted access to the area so they can complete their own investigation.

The FBI Lab in Quantico, Va. is conducting tests on the remains found and it may be several more days before those results are available. In an emergency motion hearing Tuesday, a member of the prosecution alluded that the remains found were those of a little girl, but she would not go as far to say that they belonged to missing toddler Caylee Marie Anthony.

Caylee's mother, Casey, remains in protective custody at the Orange County Jail awaiting her murder trial in March. On Tuesday, she was officially removed from psychological observation and was visited by her pastor from Eastside Baptist Church.

The pastor, Thomas Shane Stutzman, is the only pastor permitted to visit Casey and can only do so once a month in an in-jail official visit which is not recorded.

Though Casey is no longer under psychological observation, she will still be observed by corrections staff and is routinely reviewed by the jail's health services personnel, according to a jail official.
 

http://www.myfoxorlando.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=8091139&version=3&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=1.1.1

[Blonde]

Evidence Search At Remains Site May End Soon

Wednesday, December 17, 2008 – updated: 3:07 pm EST December 17, 2008
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- Investigators said it could be until at least Thursday afternoon before crews clear the scene where a child's remains were found a week ago.

The crime scene was expanded from a half-acre to an acre. Experts from the FBI and other agencies were using different size sifters to check every bucket full of dirt in the area to recover even the smallest of bone fragments.

AT THE SCENE: Images From Dec. 17 Search
VIDEO REPORT: Search Could Soon End
MESSAGE BOARD: Has Caylee Been Found?

Investigators brought in other experts, an anthropologist (bone expert), entomologist (bug expert) and a botanist (brush and foliage expert) to help identify evidence and put the story of what happened and when together. They're also helping determine what happened to the child's body before it was dumped there.

There was no word from investigators on exactly when the DNA tests would be completed to identify the remains. It has been seven days and investigators said it would take between seven and 14 days.

http://www.wftv.com/news/18299913/detail.html#-

[Blonde]

Facebook Posting Suggests Casey Took Friend's Duct Tape

Wednesday, December 17, 2008 – updated: 6:07 pm EST December 17, 2008
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- An online social networking site might hold clues in the case against Casey. It might help determine where the duct tape came from that was found on a child's remains located near the Anthony home.

Eyewitness News made the discovery Wednesday as search crews spent another day sifting through dirt and knocking down tree branches. Eyewitness News learned of the duct tape details from somebody who contacted the station through WFTV.com.

VIDEO REPORT: Duct Tape Came From Friend?
MESSAGE BOARD: Has Caylee Been Found?

An Ontario woman, who has been tracking the Casey Anthony case on WFTV.com, emailed what she says is Casey's Facebook page with a message about duct tape. She insists it's an authentic page she pulled in July.

One specific posting in late May, from who appears to be Casey's former best friend Amy Huizenga, reads, "You lost my duct tape. I was excited to have so much left. That's why (sic) I get for giving you my purse."

The date it appeared to be posted, May 26, was around the same time as a "no clothes party" Casey attended. She had wrapped herself in a flag and, according to her, nothing else.

Eyewitness News passed the Facebook information along to law enforcement and they are investigating the possibility that the duct tape mentioned is somehow connected to the case.

Investigators found duct tape on the mouth of the child's skull found less than a half-mile from the Anthony home. Investigators have been very tight-lipped about what they took from the Anthony home shortly after the remains were found and what, if any, evidence it has yielded.

http://www.wftv.com/news/18301938/detail.html#-

[Blonde]

Clothing Also Found In Bag With Child's Remains
FBI Analyzing Tooth, Hair Found At Crime Scene

POSTED: 12:13 pm EST December 17, 2008
UPDATED: 6:30 pm EST December 17, 2008

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The state confirmed Wednesday that clothing was also found in the trash bag full of a child's remains discovered near the Anthony home.

Related Content: Video | Special Section




The remains were found last Thursday just blocks away from the home of Caylee Anthony, who was first 

reported missing five months ago.


Her mother, Casey Anthony, has been jailed on a first-degree murder charge.

The clothing discovery is the strongest sign yet that the state believes the remains belong to Caylee, reported WESH 2's Bob Kealing.

Authorities said they're uncovering new evidence almost every day.

Sources said they believe the victim was dumped soon after the slaying.

Prosecutors visited the crime scene along Suburban Drive on Wednesday. They learned that crime scene investigators and FBI forensics experts wouldn't be done processing the area until at least Thursday.

Teams carrying machetes continued cutting into the wooded area, and they expanded the search area from a half acre to an acre.

Investigators said the crime scene continues to give up more and more clues. Crime scene investigator technicians hope to piece together not only who the child was, but how the child died, and perhaps when the remains were dumped there in a plastic bag.

Two prosecutors met with investigators on Wednesday morning for a progress report on the search effort.

A short news conference was held to announce the search would stretch into an eighth day.

"We expected that it might have been late this afternoon that this scene might have been able to be cleared, but as we continue to discover items at the scene, we'll continue to hold the scene irregardless of identification. The medical examiner will make that determination as to when it is proper to make a proper announcement regarding identification," Orange County Sheriff's Office Capt. Angelo Nieves said.

Authorities also announced that FBI analysts began work to identify the remains by using a tooth and hair found at the crime scene.

One woman said off camera Wednesday that she was part of a Texas Equusearch team that scoured this area. She claims to have photographic evidence that proves the remains were not there when they searched. Investigators reviewed the photos and took her statement.

Earlier Wednesday, lead investigators briefed two state attorneys whose job it is to prosecute Casey Anthony on murder charges.

A steady stream of people continued to come to the scene to pay their respects and reflect.

http://www.wesh.com/news/18299352/detail.html#

[Blonde]

Anthony case prosecutors visit scene where body was found

Last Edited: Wednesday, 17 Dec 2008, 5:55 PM EST
Created: Wednesday, 17 Dec 2008, 4:07 PM EST


Anthony case prosecutors visit scene where body was found
SideBar

Related Items
StoriesTimeline, Documents and Photos related to the Casey Anthony Case


ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35, Orlando) -- On Wednesday prosecutors in the Casey Anthony case visited the scene where a child's remains were found one week ago.

The bones have not be officially identified as Caylee's remains but the visit gives some indication the state knows more about the identity than they are letting on. “They are here to maintain their interest in the case obviously.  They want to make sure they are aware first hand of what is going on here at the scene,” said Captain Angelo Nieves from the Orange County Sheriff's Office .

It was expected that crime scene technicians would wrap up their work on Wednesday but more finds, and more being brought it, will have the sheriff's office and the FBI out here at least until tomorrow. “It’s grown to ½ acre to an acre in size through this morning and through this afternoon and they continue to find additional items,” said Nieves.

The scene will then be opened up for everyone to see including Jose Baez and the public.

Cops have concerns about what will happen next because it is an area where people live and kids go to school. 

Nieves says deputies will be out at the scene to keep watch at least for a few days.

 “Once this scene is released we will maintain proper order," Nieves said. "The Orange County Sheriff’s Office will continue to restore order. We expect everyone to act accordingly.”


Baez lashes out at investigators

On Wednesday Casey Anthony’s attorney Jose Baez released the following statement regarding the crime scene:

“The Casey Anthony Defense Team has made numerous attempts to preserve the evidence in and around the location where the human remains of what appear to be a small child were found.

Law enforcement has been repeatedly asked to allow reasonable access by medical and scientific experts for the defense, including requests for photographs, and assistance with maintaining a secure examination scene prior to any media or general public access.

Every effort by The Baez Law Firm to establish a level of basic cooperation and professional courtesy have all been rejected by the government. This lack of cooperation has complicated how to proceed.

Now that the scene more resembles that of an excavation site as opposed to an examinable crime scene - attorney Jose Baez has been advised that without properly detailed photographs and all related material and documentation, the various experts on the Casey Anthony Defense Team will simply not be able to thoroughly examine the site.

Unfortunately this matter has already become a Media Circus and something The Baez Law Firm will not contribute to, by just making a show of going to the excavation site without good reason. The Casey Anthony Defense Team is being prevented from examining the site unless and until all photographs, schematic sketches and related material and documentation are released to the defense through the discovery process.”


http://www.myfoxorlando.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=8093783&version=4&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1

[Blonde]

Teeth, More Bones Found In Search Near Anthony Home
Remains Not Yet Identified

POSTED: Thursday, December 18, 2008
UPDATED: 7:38 am EST December 18, 2008



ORLANDO, Fla. -- Teeth and more skeletal remains have been found during a search of a wooded area near the home of Caylee Anthony's grandparents, causing officials to expand the search area to more than a half-acre, Local 6 News reported.

The search began last week after a utility worker found a skull and the remains of a child in the woods, located less than a half-mile from the George and Cindy Anthony's home, which they shared with their daughter, Casey Anthony, and Caylee, who was last seen in mid-June.

The remains have not yet been identified.

Casey Anthony, 22, remains jailed on first-degree murder charges in the disappearance of her daughter, who was not reported missing until mid-July. Her trial is scheduled to begin in March.

Prosecutors visited the search site on Wednesday to ensure the quality of work being done by investigators.

"As we make additional discoveries on the scene here, they will continue to provide that information, properly label it, sort through it, make sure that it's returned to the medical examiner's office as well," Carlos Nieves of the Orange County Sheriff's Office said.

A team of scientists, including anthropologists, a forensic botanist and a forensic entomologist, have been researching insect and plant growth and climate changes in the area in an effort to pinpoint when the remains were left there.

A nearby makeshift memorial displaying stuffed animals, balloons, letters and flowers in honor of Caylee has more than tripled in size since Monday, Local 6 News reported.

http://www.clickorlando.com/news/18306284/detail.html

[Blonde]

An investigator carries a chain saw near the area where a child's remains were found. (Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel)
Sources: FBI examining hair samples from child's remains

Updated: 3:03 p.m.
Hair samples found in the bag containing the child's remains were shipped to the FBI's lab, a source at the Orange County Sheriff's Office said today.

Today's updates:

Casey Anthony purchases pad, pencils and snacks
3:04 p.m.

Murder suspect Casey Anthony, using money in her jail account, has purchased a sketch pad, colored pencils, playing cards and an assortment of packaged food and candy, according to documents just released by the Orange County Jail. She made purchases today and Wednesday totaling $53.27 Her account, funded with donations from her father and others, now has a balance of just under $400, records show. She is being held at the jail on no bond

Video
 
Related links
Caylee Anthony case: "Dr. Phil" returns to story tonight
WATCH IT: Casey Anthony videos Video
LISTEN TO IT: Utility worker reports skull found Audio
PHOTOS: Remains found near Anthony home Photos
The Caylee Anthony saga in photos Photos
READ FOR YOURSELF: Investigators' timeline in Casey Anthony case
READ FOR YOURSELF: Potential state witnesses in the Casey Anthony case
Casey Anthony evidence photos released Photos
Volunteers search for Caylee Marie Anthony Photos
The Caylee Anthony case: From the beginning
Florida's media circuses Photos
TV Guy Hal Boedeker's commentary on the Casey Anthony case coverage
 

Sources at the sheriff's office confirm FBI examining hair samples
8:55 a.m. Hair samples found in the bag containing the child's remains were shipped to the FBI's lab, a source at the Orange County Sheriff's Office said today.

However, sheriff's office spokesman Captain Angelo Nieves would not confirm other items under investigation.

"We know that the court team spoke about a 3-inch piece of bone that would be used during the identification process; we have not provided any identification of items recovered at the scene except for the skull and bag," Nieves wrote in an e-mail to the Orlando Sentinel. "The sheriff responded to a question on the first day regarding any clothing being present and he replied that there was none at this time, in other words [it is] too early to tell."

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/orl-bk-casey-anthony-121808,0,787819.story

[Blonde]

Worker Who Found Skull Near Anthony Home Phoned In Previous Tip
More Skeletal Remains Discovered; Search Site Expands

POSTED: Thursday, December 18, 2008
UPDATED: 5:07 pm EST December 18, 2008



ORLANDO, Fla. -- A utility worker who discovered a child's remains near Caylee Anthony grandparents' home last week phoned in a tip about the same area to authorities in August, an Orange County sheriff's spokesman said at a media briefing on Thursday.
LIVE VIDEO: Local 6 News In Orlando
The search of the area began last week after the discovery, which is located less than a half-mile from George and Cindy Anthony's home, which they shared with their daughter, Casey Anthony, and Caylee, who was last seen in mid-June.

Orange County sheriff's Capt. Angelo Nieves said more skeletal remains were found on Thursday and appeared to be those of a small child. The remains have not been identified -- the skull and earlier finds have been undergoing DNA and other testing.

Because of their location and size authorities believe they are the missing toddler, who was 2 when she disappeared last summer.

Casey Anthony, 22, remains jailed on first-degree murder charges in the disappearance of her daughter, who was not reported missing until mid-July. Her trial is scheduled to begin in March.


http://www.clickorlando.com/news/18311223/detail.html#-

[Blonde]

Sheriff's office: More remains found; first tip about site came in August
Amy L. Edwards, Bianca Prieto and Walter Pacheco | Sentinel Staff Writers
5:06 PM EST, December 18, 2008


New bones were discovered Thursday on a wooded lot where Orange County investigators found a skull and other skeletal remains a week ago, the sheriff's office said.

Sheriff's Capt. Angelo Nieves said the new bones were found on the perimeter of the search area off Suburban Drive where investigators and crime-scene technicians have been working since last week.

Investigators have suggested the remains could be those of missing toddler Cayle Marie Anthony, who disappeared in June.

Because of the new discovery, investigators have expanded the search area and intend to stay at the site several more days, Nieves said.


 

The sheriff's spokesman also made a surprise announcement that the utitlity worker who reported finding the remains last week also made calls to authorities on three days in August. It was not immediately known what he reported.

Nieves said his agency was investigating how those reports were handled. Nieves said a deputy was sent to the scene in August to follow up on the tip.

More to come.

Sheriff's officials to hold press conference at 4:50 p.m.
4:06 p.m.

Orange County Sheriff's officials will hold a press conference this afternoon at the sight where a body of a young child was found a week ago.

Captain Angelo Nieves, sheriff's spokesman, will be on scene to deliver the news. Details about the press conference were not released.

Casey Anthony purchases pad, pencils and snacks
3:04 p.m.

Murder suspect Casey Anthony, using money in her jail account, has purchased a sketch pad, colored pencils, playing cards and an assortment of packaged food and candy, according to documents just released by the Orange County Jail. She made purchases today and Wednesday totaling $53.27 Her account, funded with donations from her father and others, now has a balance of just under $400, records show. She is being held at the jail on no bond

Sources at the sheriff's office confirm FBI examining hair samples
8:55 a.m. Hair samples found in the bag containing the child's remains were shipped to the FBI's lab, a source at the Orange County Sheriff's Office said today.

However, sheriff's office spokesman Captain Angelo Nieves would not confirm other items under investigation.

"We know that the court team spoke about a 3-inch piece of bone that would be used during the identification process; we have not provided any identification of items recovered at the scene except for the skull and bag," Nieves wrote in an e-mail to the Orlando Sentinel. "The sheriff responded to a question on the first day regarding any clothing being present and he replied that there was none at this time, in other words [it is] too early to tell."


http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/orl-bk-casey-anthony-121808,0,787819.story

[Blonde]

Slide Show of the Search Area

http://www.wftv.com/slideshow/news/18311441/detail.html

[Blonde]

Deputies Say "Significant Skeletal Remains" Found
Thursday, December 18, 2008 – updated: 5:36 pm EST December 18, 2008

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- Orange County deputies said Thursday that "significant skeletal remains" were found Thursday afternoon and that the first tips about the area came in as early as August. A late Thursday afternoon media briefing from the Orange County Sheriff's Office revealed new details in the search for more evidence after a child's remains were found less than a half-mile from the Anthony home.

Capt. Angelo Nieves said the search was expanded after "significant skeletal remains" were located Thursday afternoon. He said the newly found remains are consistent with the remains of a young child. Nieves said the area is not going to be released until possibly as late as Saturday.

"We will release the scene when it's appropriate to do so," Nieves said.

Nieves also said the utility worker, who led them to the remains after finding a child's skull a week ago, had called dispatchers three times in August about the possibility he'd found something in that area, on August 11, 12, and 13. Nieves said at least one deputy was sent to the scene and investigators are now investigating that yet-to-be-identified deputy, talking to dispatchers who took the calls and interviewing the utility worker.

Nieves said the man likely came back to the scene last Thursday because it had been nagging him.

"He is not a suspect in this case," Nieves said early Thursday evening. "He is a credible witness and we consider him so at the Orange County Sheriff's Office."

Also Thursday, the sheriff's office released dozens of images showing the search scene. The images didn't reveal anything and do not show any actual evidence, but some of the images do give the closest look yet at the search scene from the ground

http://www.wftv.com/news/18311590/detail.html

[Nut44x4]

Did investigators find Caylee Anthony's book at search site?
OrlandoSentinel.com
9:13 PM EST, December 18, 2008
On a day filled with developments in the case of missing toddler Caylee Marie Anthony -- including news that the man who discovered human remains last week called in the same tip three times in August -- a single photograph brought forth as many questions as it answered.

Did investigators searching a wooded area for skeletal remains possibly also find a book that Caylee liked to read?

One of the 171 photos released Thursday by investigators shows a slight opening in the brush -- and what appears to be a hard-cover book. (Click here to see the photos)

To some observers, that object appears similar to a book that Caylee is seen reading on a video made by her grandparents, the last visual evidence of the toddler before she was reported missing in July. (Click here to watch that video.)
Editors at OrlandoSentinel.com discovered the similarities while looking over the crime scene photos late Thursday. We wondered if the Orange County Sheriff's Office noticed the same thing. So we asked.

Sheriff's Capt. Angelo Nieves said he had not seen the crime-scene photos and could not comment on their content. He said he would not ask investigators about the photo.

Whatever the object -- a book, a cereal box, wrapping paper or something else -- no close-up photos of it were released by investigators, who have said that the wooded area is full of debris. So, what do you think?

Shortly before dinnertime Thursday, Nieves confirmed that significant skeletal remains were discovered and that the search area was being expanded. It had been anticipated that investigators were close to opening the area up. Instead, Nieves said, the search will continue today and possibly into the weekend.

That development, however, was followed by the stunner: The utility worker who phoned in the discovery of a bag of bones in the wooded area in east Orange County -- about two blocks from the home of Caylee's mother and grandparents -- first called in a tip to the sheriff's office's communications center on August 11. The next day, he called Crimeline. And on Aug. 13, he called the communications center again.

The meter reader's next call about the case was last week. That day, he reported to his boss at Orange County Utilities Department that he found a bag of bones that included a small skull.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-caylee-anthony-book-121808,0,4733443.story

[Nut44x4]

Cops, on Caylee tips: How did we miss this?
Bianca Prieto | Sarah Lundy and Amy L. Edwards, Sentinel Staff Writers
December 19, 2008
Could the search for Caylee Marie have ended months ago?

An Orange County utilities worker tried three times in August to alert law enforcement of a strange gray bag on the side of Suburban Drive near the home of missing Caylee Marie Anthony, a sheriff's official said Thursday.

Three times, deputy sheriffs checked the tips, with no results. When curiosity led the same utility worker back to the same spot last week, he found a plastic bag containing the remains of a small child.

Now, the Orange County Sheriff's Office is trying to figure out what happened four months ago and how its deputies handled the calls. The tipster, who has not been publicly identified, is not considered a suspect and has been cooperating with deputies, officials said.

"We are attempting to be as thorough, as clear and as concise as possible with the information that we received. There was a window of opportunity, possibly . . ." Capt. Angelo Nieves said. "We had a deputy respond to this location."

The meter reader "provided several phone calls to our Crimeline as well as our communications center," the captain added during a late-afternoon news conference. The worker called in the tip at least three times in three days in August. He was "definitely persistent, and thank goodness he was," Nieves said.

But deputies twice declared the scene clear. "We are currently following up on that sequence to determine the thoroughness of the response here to the scene," Nieves said.

Authorities have yet to identify the remains -- found scattered over an acre of thick woods -- but many suspect they belong to Caylee, the Orange County toddler reported missing in mid-July.

At least one of the deputies who responded to the meter reader's tips checked the woods, Nieves said.

A week into evidence collection at the site, a short walk from the child's home, more "significant" bones were unearthed Thursday, Nieves said. Officials said the new discovery would require additional work and that crime-scene technicians may not clear the scene until Saturday afternoon.
Also Thursday, the Sheriff's Office released 173 photos of the area that is being searched. The pictures include several aerial shots, the dense woods at dusk, and one photo that appears to show what could be packaging or a book lying among the foliage.

The Sheriff's Office would not discuss the photos or their significance.

Earlier this week, Casey Anthony's attorney, Jos� Baez, asked a judge to let him see photos of the area being searched for evidence. Sheriff's officials agreed they would release some, but not all, of the photos.

Baez insisted that he needed access to the photos because he was not being allowed to watch the work under way at the crime scene. He said the area had been altered substantially since the remains were found.

The Sheriff's Office withheld the names of the deputies and the utility worker. A Crimeline spokeswoman said she would not discuss specific tips.

An attorney for Caylee's grandparents, Cindy and George Anthony, said the family had no comment on the latest developments. The couple were attending a fundraiser for missing children and did not watch the news conference, said Brad Conway, their attorney.


What impact on case?

Baez's spokesman said Thursday's developments showed that much about the case still is not understood.

"This is a perfect example of why the media and the public should not prejudge this case," spokesman Todd Black said. "This case has information and facts that are coming forward every day, and Casey Anthony deserves the right of presumption of innocence until all facts and information are revealed."

It was unclear what effect disclosure of the August tips could have on the legal case against Anthony.

Veteran Orlando defense attorney Cheney Mason said it raises questions for the prosecutors and Anthony's defense attorney. The main question, he said, will be: When and how did the body get there?

"It distinctly creates a new level of investigation, interrogation and reasonable doubt," he said.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/community/news/southofdowntown/orl-casey1908dec19,0,7614065.story

[Blonde]

Co-Worker: Snake Scared Off Deputy Checking Tip Near Caylee Home
More Skeletal Remains Discovered; Search Site Expands

POSTED: Thursday, December 18, 2008
UPDATED: 7:41 am EST December 19, 2008



ORLANDO, Fla. -- A co-worker of the man who last week discovered a skull and the remains of a child in a wooded area near the home of Caylee Anthony's grandparents said the deputy who checked on the man's first tips -- made in August -- was scared off by a large snake.
PHOTOS: Authorities' Pics Of Search Site | Part II
The utility worker, an Orange County water meter reader who has not been identified, first called in a tip to Crimeline on Aug. 11, saying he spotted a bag partially submerged on the side of Suburban Drive, near the area where human bones that investigators believe belong to Caylee, who was last seen in mid-June, were found.

Caylee lived with her mother, Casey Anthony, 22, who remains jailed on first-degree murder charges in her daughter's disappearance, at the home of George and Cindy Anthony, which is located less than a half-mile from the wooded area.

"The deputy responds out to the scene, takes a look at the area, monitors the area, surveils the area to see what's available here for them to find. (The deputy) does not find anything, and then cleared the call," Orange County sheriff's Capt. Angelo Nieves said.

The same utility worker then called in the same tip on Aug. 12. A detective received the information but did not respond to the area, Local 6 News reported.

"They had information at that time that a detective was handling it, that the area had been searched -- which the area had been searched previously by cadaver dogs we understand -- but exactly what area we are still trying to determine," Nieves said.

The meter reader called in the same tip for a third time on Aug. 13, and an Orange County sheriff's deputy went to the wooded area to search for the bag but encountered a large snake and turned back, clearing the scene a short time later, according to the co-worker.

"That's where we're trying to determine the thoroughness of the follow-up," Nieves said.

The worker then returned to the woods on Dec. 11 -- four months after placing his first tip -- and discovered the bag. He picked it up, and a child's skull rolled out. The worker called the dispatcher who he works with, and his boss placed a 911 call about the finding.

The meter reader is not considered a suspect in the case, Nieves said.

Nieves also said more skeletal remains found on Thursday appeared to be those of a small child. The remains have not been identified -- the skull and earlier finds have been undergoing DNA and other testing.

Nieves said accusations made by Casey Anthony's defense team that the search site is being held by authorities longer than necessary are not true. He cited the fact that more remains have been found as proof.

"This is a perfect example of why the public and media should not be prejudging the case," said Todd Black, a spokesman for Casey Anthony's attorney, Jose Baez. "I would imagine the meter reader should get an attorney before the sheriff's office accuses him of a crime."

Because of their location and size, authorities said they believe the remains are that of the missing toddler, who was 2 years old when she disappeared.

Teeth, More Bones Found

Meanwhile, teeth and more skeletal remains were found during a search of the woods on Wednesday, causing officials to expand the search area to more than a half-acre, Local 6 News reported.

FBI agents on Thursday continued to assist in the search at the site. Prosecutors visited the search site on Wednesday to ensure the quality of work being done by investigators.

"As we make additional discoveries on the scene here, they will continue to provide that information, properly label it, sort through it, make sure that it's returned to the medical examiner's office as well," Carlos Nieves of the Orange County Sheriff's Office said.

A team of scientists, including anthropologists, a forensic botanist and a forensic entomologist, have been researching insect and plant growth and climate changes in the area in an effort to pinpoint when the remains were left there.

Casey Anthony's attorney, Jose Baez, on Thursday filed a notice of intent to examine debris taken from the search site, requesting that the state preserve all of the dirt, trees, bushes and shrubs so the defense team can thoroughly sift through it.

According to the defense team, hair similar to Caylee's was found and was being analyzed to help identify the remains, Local 6 News reported.

A nearby makeshift memorial displaying stuffed animals, balloons, letters and flowers in honor of Caylee has more than tripled in size since Monday, Local 6 News reported.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.

Copyright 2008 by Internet Broadcasting Systems and Local6.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
http://www.clickorlando.com/news/18311223/detail.html#-

[Blonde]

Meter Reader's Identity Expected To Be Revealed

Friday, December 19, 2008 – updated: 8:09 am EST December 19, 2008
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- The Orange County Sheriff's Office is expected to release the identity of the meter reader who discovered a child's remains in a wooded area near the Anthonys' home. Steve Triggs, Director of Communications for Orange County, said the meter reader had been a county employee for a relatively short time and would appear at a news conference Friday. Triggs said the meter reader is being represented by outside counsel at the County’s expense.

There are concerns surrounding the meter reader who found a child's remains believed to be Caylee Anthony. The Orange County Sheriff's Office said Thursday that the meter reader had been to the scene before and had called police about the area in August (map from location to Anthonys' home).

CLOSE-UP LOOK: Sheriff's Office Releases Images
VIDEO REPORT: Sheriff's Office Drops Bombshell
MESSAGE BOARD: Has Caylee Been Found?

Investigators interviewed the meter reader at length about what he knows, but he is not considered a suspect in any way.

"He is not a suspect in this case," Captain Angelo Nieves said early Thursday evening. "He is a credible witness and we consider him so at the Orange County Sheriff's Office."

Since the first day of the investigation, George and Cindy Anthony have said every Crimeline tip about their missing granddaughter Caylee was important.

Their attorney Brad Conway told Eyewitness News over the phone that Thursday's developments were the reasons the Anthonys are standing by their daughter Casey.

Conway says there are a lot of unknown details in the case. He also has concerns about the meter reader who discovered the remains and the deputy who allegedly checked out the wooded area in August. The Anthonys have said repeatedly they weren't happy with the Orange County Sheriff's Office's investigation. They felt investigators were more focused on prosecuting Casey than looking for Caylee.

The sheriff's office said the meter reader had called in tips about the exact same area to Crimeline and the sheriff's office three times in August, two weeks before Tropical Storm Fay hit and flooded much of Central Florida, including the area where the remains were found last week.

The sheriff's office said it is focusing on its own deputies who came out on August 11 and 13 to inspect the scene. It's unknown what the area looked like on August 11, the first day the meter reader called and reported seeing a gray bag.

Sheriff’s officials said the man called Crimeline on August 12th. A detective checked records and determined the area already had been checked by a cadaver dog.

The sheriff's office is also investigating deputies who came out and cleared the scene on the 13th of August. The meter reader accompanied the deputies but nothing was found.

Officials aren't releasing the names of any of the deputies involved, but they are under administrative investigation.

Nieves said the meter reader went back last week because he had a nagging feeling that it was the place to look.

"He called on the 11th, the 12th and the 13th," Nieves said. "Currently, we are following up on that sequence."

WFTV legal analyst Bill Sheaffer said the developments would appear to benefit Casey Anthony’s defense attorneys. Eyewitness News Anchor Bob Opsahl spoke with Sheaffer about what he believes will be the defense's next move in the case. He says the defense is likely to pounce on new revelations that authorities didn't take the meter reader's concerns seriously.

http://www.wftv.com/news/18315429/detail.html#-

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One of the 171 photos released Thursday by investigators shows a slight opening in the brush -- and what appears to be a hard-cover book. (Orange County Sheriff's Office)

Did investigators find Caylee's book at search site?


http://www.orlandosentinel.com/

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The Caylee Anthony saga in photos




http://www.courant.com/news/local/photo/orl-caylee-anthonypics-photos,0,4069567.photogallery

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Major Announcement Expected In Anthony Case

Friday, December 19, 2008 – updated: 10:51 am EST December 19, 2008
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- Sources close to the investigation of a child's remains, found less than a half-mile from the Anthony home, told Eyewitness News that a major announcement is possible during a 2:00pm press conference. Orange County's Comminications Department is also expected to release the identity of the meter reader who discovered the child's remains.

Steve Triggs, Director of Communications for Orange County, said the meter reader has been a county employee for a relatively short time and would appear at the news conference. Triggs said the meter reader is being represented by outside counsel at the county's expense.

here are concerns surrounding the meter reader who found a child's remains believed to be Caylee Anthony. The Orange County Sheriff's Office said Thursday that the meter reader had been to the scene before and had called police about the area in August (map from location to Anthonys' home).

Investigators interviewed the meter reader at length about what he knows, but he is not considered a suspect in any way.

"He is not a suspect in this case," Captain Angelo Nieves said early Thursday evening. "He is a credible witness and we consider him so at the Orange County Sheriff's Office."

Since the first day of the investigation, George and Cindy Anthony have said every Crimeline tip about their missing granddaughter Caylee was important.

Their attorney Brad Conway told Eyewitness News over the phone (raw interview) that Thursday's developments were the reasons the Anthonys are standing by their daughter Casey.

http://www.wftv.com/news/18315429/detail.html#-

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The FBI is expected to announce the identification of the remains some time on Friday at 2 p.m. In addition, the Orange County government is expected to hold a news conference at 3:30 p.m. with the meter reader that discovered the remains to address questions about his involvement.

http://www.wesh.com/news/18317180/detail.html