From the beginning of the investigation into Casey Anthony and her missing three-year-old daughter, Caylee, the majority of the media's coverage has been on Casey's latest antics, rather than on her daughter, an innocent child whose body, according to popular opinion, is hidden somewhere along the west coast of Florida.
Given that the time limit has expired for Casey Anthony to accept the limited immunity deal that had been offered to her, it is unlikely that she will provide investigators with any factual information about Caylee's whereabouts. That being said, it is now up to law enforcement to unravel the mystery and to place the pieces of the puzzle together. Unfortunately, that task sounds much easier than it actually is.
The search grid that investigators are dealing with is over 30 miles in diameter and consists of heavily wooded areas, which are mostly swampy, with dense vegetation. As a result, it will take a team of detectives weeks, possibly months to cover the entire area. In the meantime, animal activity, heavy rains, and other seasonal changes will be working against them.
In order to help narrow the search for Caylee, members of a search and recovery team from Texas have been in the Orlando area since Saturday, searching in areas that have been specifically pinpointed by law enforcement officials.
"For a missing child, we usually have around 1,500 volunteers a day," search director Mandy Albritton told Investigation Discovery today. "We are only getting about 200 searchers a day right now, and we probably only have about 50 in the field."
Albritton said she believes that the Orlando community is not coming forward to help in the search because they harbor a lot of ill will toward the Anthony family. In addition to the lack of volunteers, Albritton said that Hurricane Hanna is expected to bring heavy rains to the area, which will hinder efforts to clear specific areas.
"Right now about 30 percent of our search area is under water, and we are going to have to wait until the water recedes to go in and clear that area," Albritton said. "The big problem we have is this hurricane coming up that is going to probably hit us Friday and bring a lot more water in the area."
Along with the weather, the native creatures, both snakes and alligators, are also making the search a challenge.
"Every time you send a searcher out in these conditions, there is going to be danger," she said. "Safety is of upmost importance and we don't want our searchers to be the story within the story. Snakes alligators and dehydration are factors we face when we send a crew out. We try not to work our crews too long. We usually send them out for two to three hours, and then bring them back in to rest."
Albritton admits that there is concern that wildlife, specifically alligators, might have completely destroyed possible evidence, but insists that those concerns are not hindering the search effort.
"We have to be able to say that we have done all we can," she said. "We've brought in horses, sonar, ATVs, and drone aircraft. We keep searching until we have completed each targeted search area. One of the things I keep saying is that we know where she's not."
Volunteers are welcome to show up at the search command center, which is located in the rear parking lot of the Holiday Inn at 5750 TG Lee Blvd., in Orlando.
"This is a search for a baby," Albritton said. "It is not an investigation and it certainly isn't a prosecution. That is up to the sheriff's department and the district attorney. We are just looking to bring a baby home to rest. That is our job."
I urge anyone who can to please take the time to help out in the search for Caylee Anthony. Think about this missing child and keep in mind that no one is immune from a similar tragedy occurring in his or her own family.
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Caylee Anthony: Associated Press
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