Casey Anthony Case Headed to Grand Jury

October 08, 2008

According to sources close to the investigation, the Florida State Attorney's Office is planning on presenting its case against Casey Anthony to a grand jury on October 14. If that happens, it will then be up to the grand jury to determine if there is enough evidence to charge Anthony in the murder of her missing 2-year-old daughter, Caylee Anthony.

Meanwhile, investigators have released footage from surveillance cameras, which show Casey Anthony using stolen checks at several Orlando area stores, where she purchased groceries, clothing and lingerie. The footage also shows Anthony cashing a check at a Bank of America.

ID has obtained copies of newly released documents, which contain a complete list of the items Anthony purchased. We are currently editing those documents, to remove personal information and will be posting them soon.

In related news, Investigation Discovery is preparing to join Texas EquuSearch back in Orlando for another search for Caylee Anthony. Yesterday, a spokesperson for EquuSearch told ID that Tim Miller is headed to Orlando this weekend to check the status of the search areas. If the high waters have receded and the vegetation has started to die off, Tim will call in the rest of the team. Otherwise, they are looking to start the search during the first or second week of November.

Discuss The Caylee Anthony Case

Related Content:
Full Coverage : Casey Anthony Case

Comments

[mary]

I sure hope you find Caylee. God be with you.

[glory]

keep up the good work david..I see you made a error in the above blog..Anthony_footage_2According to sources close to the investigation, the Florida State Attorney's Office is planning on presenting its case against Casey Anthony to a grand jury on October 14. If that happens, it will then be up to the grand jury to determine if there is enough evidence to charge Anthony in the murder of his missing 2-year-old daughter, Caylee Anthony...

Its her daughter not his..just thought i would let you know..keep us posted..thanks for all your hard work.

[Jacqui]

Whether or not she was shopping for lingerie and toothpaste is not necessarily indicative of how she feels about her "missing" daughter. If anything its an illustration of her mental state, which is seemingly delusional and out of touch.

So much weight has been put into the details of her shopping, grooming and extracurricular activities that we've all developed an opinion of her guilt based primarily on her inability to grieve appropriately. I'm not suggesting she's innocent, but maybe that we (as an audience) should not jump to conclusions when she gets her nails done or says that she's a "bad mom". If she is guilty, which we justifiably believe she is, then forensics will determine the details.

Unfortunately there may be no closure for those of us who are hoping for Caylee's body to turn up or even for a confession from her mother. Casey herself may not know the truth of what happened as most pathological liars cannot often make that distinction. As for Caylee's body, at this stage of probable decomposition and after all these months it's unlikely that she will be found.

Here's to hoping I'm wrong.

[Ben Thar]

This should put an end to any theories which portray Casey as brilliant. The delay in going before a grand jury has been simply a question of which charge to formalize. If the grand jury doesn't buy a charge, there is no protection from double jeopardy, prosecutors can go back and build a case for different formal charges, of which they have quite a selection. Part of the difficulty in prosecution is telling a coherent account of what happened when the defendant can't. Defense does not need to do this.

The latest batch of surveillance videos makes it clear Casey isn't exactly a criminal mastermind. If you are going to deny charges, do you use your real driver license when cashing a bad check? If you are planning flight, do you want people looking for a "thin, dark-haired 22-year-old female, 5'2" tall, wearing a blue hoodie with the number 82 and oversized sunglasses with white frames"? How can anyone explain what she was thinking when she made these purchases?

My answer is to read the Wikipedia entry on psychological dissociation. The groceries and lingerie were part of the boyfriend reality. The cash she had left over would not take her far if she were fleeing, but would purchase illegal substances for a few more wild nights. The sunglasses were preparation for her debut on reality TV, surrounded by paparazzi.

This is not a fictional murder mystery. Things don't have to make sense to healthy people. I've known people with similar diagnoses.

[Laura]

I wish everyone would quit making excuses for Casey! She is very self centerd and care for no one but her self! I can't wait for her to have to go to prison and face the wonderful people there! And leave the cozy comforts of her parents house.

[pak31]

Jacqui, I hope you are wrong too. I really hope that EquuSearch will have the conditions that they need in order to find Caylee. I have confidence in what Leonard Padilla says is an area that Caylee may be located at. It makes sense due to the cell phone pings and the day the car was abandoned. Casey didn't really leave the area, at least I don't think she did. Caylee has to be there somewhere. The body may not be in the best shape right now but there should be some evidence of Caylee left. That last sentence was so hard to write, she is/was such a sweetheart. Anyway, I partly agree with you about her shopping sprees. I agree that it shows her mental state(out of touch) but I also think that as a mother who has been missing her child for almost a month at that point, she wouldn't be able to buy certain items. I mean, a person has to survive and just because tragedy strikes, you still have to eat, but I couldn't even consider buying a bra at that point.

[Mary G]

Good luck on Searching again David, I sure hope you guys can find that precious little girl so she can be laid to rest properly. Keep up the good work.

[ladysheila]

OOh, this computer...as I was saying, the shopping or rather activity of Casey Anthony including her many conversations via a myriad of different types of communication is critical as it paints an accurate portrayal of a person. You can TELL someone who you are, answering many questions so that your audience can 'know' you or, in the case of someone who does NOT tell the truth, you can observe the behavior (thank GOD for technology) through said means of communication, whether it be recordings of sound (voice primarily), or video of your comings and goings or print as in the case with the checks and everything else one writes or even looks up on the internet. Actually, all of this 'evidence' of who a person is is probably better than a full truthful confession as everything you do privately can be made known now. You know, seeing the REAL, THOROUGH YOU. You can be presented and proven many ways, but however you do it, it all adds up to the same person. Incidentally, what you wear, eat, drink, snort (well, ok smell, forgive my facetiousness) hang out around tells volumes about you. As I was saying before my pc took a dive a minute ago, you could ask 100 mothers and they would all tell you that they couldn't fuction normally (shopping for toothpaste, getting your nails done)if their child was mission for 1 minute or 31 days. I only had 5 children, to which my first lived only a week, the second a few hours, and of my remaining precious children, I (hate to admit this) and several family members went on our first big vacation to a very busy theme park and both my 3 and 5 year olds were missing as we were coming out of a show. They just disappeared as I turned around. Fortuneately, I had told them if we became separated to find an employee only and go to the Lost Parents booth to which they promptly did, but it was the worst 34.36 minutes of my entire life. Also, it is the ONLY thing that you can talk about. And the only physical activity you can perform, is franctically LOOKING FOR YOUR CHILD. These other mothers I am speaking about will tell you that it is so difficult to eat or shower, let alone go shopping for anything!!! It IS REALLY AN UNBEARABLE TIME. GRUESOME. So, yes, understandably, we are coming to a conclusion. Doctors make conclusions about the medical field. When there's a "cuke" or phony, they are quick to spot it. They can't judge an animal control specialist or a fire fighter. As a teen working in a bank I quickly learned the only way to spot a counterfeit was to study the real thing. But in each of these fields (and my career as a mother which was and is and will always be a full-time, non-paper currency paid CAREER MOTHER that I take as seriously as any OTHER professional) there are certain standards of practice. I chose not to get a second job as I couldn't do my first and only important one to the best of my ability, so I lived meagerly, doing free things like taking their baths in their bathing suits when it rained) but my children will tell you they had the MOST WONDERFUL CHILDHOOD OF ANYONE and children can judge or rather make accurate conclusions of good mothers, or bad, believe me. On the phone or cell or tv too much? Not a good mom. Not enough time to do the right thing with the child. Period.

Even if they find the body if there is one (could have been sold or really kidnapped even though the biological mother is not a normal-acting mother, for instance, if she knew she was getting charged with murder, but she didn't kill the child, you would think she would SAY SO to save her skin, which is why she is abnormal, so could be a dangerous mental illness or who knows, demon possession, plain selfishness, etc., I'm just a mother)I think many of us want to know just what did happen. All of the evidence to which I am referring will help our revered law-enforcement team figure it out. And to them that say that law enforcement can't be trusted, is bad, etc. I say, well, you can find a rotten apple in any bunch of apples, but the peers around each individual will make you accountable. I am referring to the 'RULE', not the exception to the rule. That is how things in our society are judged. Casey Anthony with all the evidence has been proven to not act normal. Now, that doesn't mean she did anything (but she's hanging herself which again, is weird) but it means there is a reason why she doesn't act like a mother. In those cases it is society's responsiblity to uncover the truth as it usually is detrimental and can save many. Sorry so windy, David. If you don't want to post this, I understand. Really too long for a comment. YOU'RE the writer. But, I thank you. Sheila

[Loretta]

Jacqui, so much of the outrage re: Casey's shopping (and forgery forays) simply may be less about what she bought and more about what she didn't; items for Caylee. That, and the fact that she wasn't actually trying to find this daughter who was her life. Whom she doted on. Supposedly.

And considering how much information that law enforcement has put out here (for whatever reason), it's almost impossible not to draw conclusions. Most of us are probably not qualified to comment on Casey's mental state. Not in the legal sense anyway.

Godspeed to the searchers and thanks to DL and ID for keeping us up to date.

[cb]

I just knew that you were going go to go back.
Godspeed to you and all of the volunteers in this case,and all the other missing persons cases.

Please post whatever you can without compromising the investigation.

[Jacqui]

Since there seems to be some discussion on the mentality of mothers and what they would or would not do in the event their child disappeared I would like to add that it has been brought up in the investigation that Casey didn't actually want to be a mother and had even proposed adoption to her parents. (Correct if I'm wrong?)

That said, I can't seriously approach the Caylee investigation as a kidnapping. The facts only make sense as a manslaughter/murder and so when I wrote previously about the way she was handling things, I meant in light of what she had done. It is widely understood that trauma (however self-induced) can cause dissociation, personality dysfunction, etc. Amnesia, though we all scoff at insanity pleas, is also common.

To get a little personal, and to explain my interest in this case, my own mother shares a lot of character traits to Casey Anthony. Throughout my childhood my mother was in and out of jail for petty thefts, shoplifting, bad checks, assault, identity theft and ten counts of felony embezzlements from the government that made the newspaper and state broadcasts at one time. Like Casey, she admitted that she should have never been a parent.

I've witnessed first-hand how someone can function in a complete state of denial, how she could get her hair and nails done, take us to sports practices and lie about every aspect of our lives to even those who thought they knew us well. It was a web of lies she even came to believe, as they were far safer to her than the truth.

I say all that with only the intent to point out that although this is a different case entirely, her irregular behavior could very well be looked upon as a "tell".

And if I could add to speculation, I would say it tells us that she killed her daughter and has been so lost in her deception, self included, she hasn't had the presence of mind to conceal it--so she's just acted as if everything was normal.

Not a new theory, but rings familiar.

[gloria]

All I know about behavior is what i feel inside when i think of how it would be if one of my children had been taken or one of my grandkids...I CANT IMAGINE BEING ABLE TO FUNCTION , LIKE WALKING AND TALKING , much less shopping and writing out checks....nothing in the world would mean more to me then seeing my loved one again.. i would be devastated. Nails , tatoos etc would never even be a possibility .. Casey how do you do it? I dont know if Casey will ever break but if she does I hope it is as hard as the rest of the world has wept for her child ..may god have mercy on you Casey cuz no one else does....

[Cristene]

I realize that i'm just a lay person with no knowledge of the law but...If forensic's prove that their was a decomposing body in the back of Casey's car and it is Caylee's then thats proof that Caylee is dead and proof that Casey was the last person with her so is that not enough proof or what ?

[Lexi]

I am a mental health professional and have been following this case from the beginning. It doesn't matter what the actual "diagnosis" of Casey is, but the point that many may be missing is that a jury of 12 needs to decide that she did indeed bring harm to her daughter and needs to pay a price.

I am sure psychologists will disagree with each other when they are brought to the stand. And you can be sure that both sides will have an "expert."

[SunShine]

I can't ignore the plain fact that her child was missing, and she didn't report it until someone made her (a month later), and she didn't even look for her. That is not someone who is missing her daughter, that's someone who knows where she is(or where she put her body in other words) That says guilty to me.

[Ben Thar]

@Cristene,

Saying a person is sick, as I believe Casey is, does not let them off the hook. It may affect what you do about them. If their condition has serious consequences, as we see here, and effective treatment to change this is unavailable, there is no excuse for turning them loose on innocent people like Caylee.

The law doesn't make quite the same distinctions as mental health professionals. In ordinary language, there are only four relevant questions. Did she know what she was doing? Did she have significant control of her actions? Was she aware of possible consequences? Did she understand the bulk of the human race would consider her actions terribly wrong? I believe all these can be answered with "yes". Many people showing less control, awareness and understanding have been convicted.

Still, I ask even people without special training to try to approach this case with a clinical attitude for a simple reason, Casey is a skilled manipulator. I don't believe she would now have the family support she has enjoyed if there were not people just outside the front door ready to burn her at the stake. She has pushed the buttons and set up conflicts which would cause a mother grizzly to defend her cubs. Her family cannot be in their right minds, they are living with her. This can be hell even without a media circus. For them the nightmare began years ago.

[betty green]

david bless you for caring for this beautiful child &wanting to bring her home. . if there were more people like you out there this world would be a much better place. . it is so sad to think casey could just throw her baby away & just move on with her life in the fast lane . i hope & pray this child is found soon. people that have never seen this child are grieving for her. i hope casey goes to jail & is put in with the general population there. she will get a reality check real soon. . those folks don't like baby killers.. i wish you & all the searchers good luck . too bad casey can't get her hands & feet dirty out there too.

[cb]

On newly reported info:

"George and Cindy Anthony voluntarily gave up DNA samples this week so investigators could scientifically exclude either of them as the source of the hair and stain in Casey's trunk, but investigators had to get a search warrant to get Casey's brother Lee to submit to a DNA test. He also has refused to take a lie detector test for the FBI." from: http://www.wftv.com/news/17680298/detail.html

Maybe I am tremendously confused or this statement is inaccurate, but how could a stain of decomposition relate to 2 living individuals? Wasn't it leaked (sorry bad choice of word) that the stain was where the putrefaction odor emanated from? Also, how conclusive/reliable can the hair root analysis be, (bands indicating that it was from a corpse), if they are testing it against hair samples from live subjects?

Scary, but that post has reasonable doubt written all over it. Sounds like they desperately need to locate the body, or perhaps the reporting is off? Anyone?

[ElleC]

DNA from relatives has very close sequences to each other. I'm sure they already know the hair belongs to Caylee and they've more than likely already have proof - they are not disclosing a whole lot to the media. The reasons they'd need George, Cindy's and Lee's DNA could be for a number of reasons.

[palm olive]

From what I understand, LE wanted DNA samples from Casey's parents and from Lee in order to rule them out as suspects in Caylee's disappearance. That way they can say that by process of elimination Casey must have been the only person to have had contact with the car and the decompisition inside the trunk. If they are not able to recover poor Caylee's remains then the evidence is largely circumstantial, so it needs to be as credible as LE can make it. Not that the task will be difficult, as Casey Anthony is as dumb as a bag of rocks!

[cb]

to ElleC:

Thanks for the response. I'm still at a loss. You are likely right that they are seeking the DNA for something other than matching the hair to the parents....I have read 'Body Farm' scientific study reports recently(not from this case). From the results: Supposedly there is consistency in the level or amount of banding that occurs in relationship to time of death. A control subject , that was alive, did not demonstrate the banding.

That's why it didn't sound like they would want to compare the hair found in the trunk to living individuals. Unless there was additional 'live' hair located with the dead material; indicating that that person(s) had something to do with the death or disposal of the body. David didn't include the stain , in his post, as part of the analysis, so that makes more sense.

David, would(could) you please move this post to the newest one? It relates more to current revelations and maybe a scientist, or someone involved in forensics might respond?

Thanks, and again...Good Luck!

[verde]

Jacqui, thank you for sharing. Not all mothers are warm and loving. My mother was not. I believe Casey is the (hopefully) rare example of an abnormal human female; lacking maternal instincts to protect.
David, what is it that drives you? I am so grateful for what you do. While people are consumed with themselves, your pursuits are so unselfish.
Finding Caylee will help bring her justice. Good luck in the search.

[nurse1956]

I am a nurse and the diagnosis of antisocial behavior is exactly what it says. She does not possess the capacity to feel for others, they are all pawns in the Casey show. If a person does not benefit her she casts them aside. This is not a mental illness but a behavior she demonstrates. It is in the DMSO4. This is a psychiatric diagnosis they use when unable to put a finger on the actual diagnosis of a person.

[R. Smith]

After watching Nancy Grace tonight, it sounds as if they have probably already found Caylee's body but can't make it public yet.

[betty green]

there is a website care2 petition site where you can sign a petition to stop the anthonys from making a deal with lifetime for a movie in order to rake in a cool 2 million dollars from the loss of this sweet child . please go there & sign up . they need 10,000 signatures . they have over 5,000 now. please take a minute to do this so this scum can not make money off the loss of this innocent baby.. what a price can this bunch of sick people put on the life of this child ? please sign up to stop this movie