Monday, October 20, 2008

Bounty Hunters To Head Caylee Search

EquuSearch will be in Central Florida next month along with bounty hunter Leonard Padilla.

Padilla and a group of other bounty hunters will be trained to be team leaders in the search for the 3-year-old.

Padilla bonded Caylee's mother, Casey, out of jail when she was charged with child neglect.

Casey Anthony is back in jail charged with Caylee's murder, Local 6 reported.

EquuSearch officials said they plan to sit down with law enforcement and go over any tips and sightings that have surfaced before the Nov. 7 search begins.

Meanwhile, Casey Anthony pleaded not guilty Friday to charges that she killed her daughter.

Casey Anthony's written plea came three days after a grand jury indicted her on charges of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter and four counts of lying to investigators about the disappearance of her daughter, Caylee.

Caylee has not been seen since June but wasn't reported missing until a month later. The child's grandmother, Cindy Anthony, first called authorities in July to say that she hadn't seen Caylee for a month and that her daughter's car smelled like death.

Casey Anthony, 22, told authorities that she had left her daughter with a baby sitter in June, and that the two were gone when she returned from work. She said she spent the next month trying to find her daughter and didn't call authorities because she was scared.

Investigators immediately started poking holes in her story. The apartment where Casey Anthony said she had left her daughter had been vacant for months, they said. They said she also lied when she told them she had been working at an area theme park as an event planner.

Her attorney, Jose Baez, didn't immediately return phone and e-mail messages Friday. Shortly before the indictment was issued Tuesday, he said he believed his client would be vindicated.

Caylee On Cover Of People Magazine

For the second time in the last few months, People magazine has decided to put Caylee Anthony on its cover.

The issue, which hit newsstands on Friday with the cover headline "A Mom's Web Of Lies," features a big picture of the 3-year-old with a smaller image of her mother.

Unlike the first story People wrote regarding Caylee, the Anthony family was not interviewed.

Cindy Anthony said she felt duped by People after the first article was released.

"We did not in any way mislead anybody about what the story was, which is a story about this missing toddler," said Betsy Gleick of People.

The current story features a lengthy article that recaps the entire story with recently released photos of Casey Anthony allegedly using stolen checks to purchase items.

The story says the family continues to search for Caylee, and a private investigator is following a tip of a possible Caylee sighting two weeks ago, where someone took a grainy pic of a child who looked like the missing girl.

The current story went to press before murder charges were issued against Casey Anthony.

Meanwhile, Casey Anthony is scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday, Oct. 28 in her murder case. On Nov. 5, pretrial proceedings are set for her child neglect and fraud cases.

Baez: Caylee Is Alive

The spokesman for an attorney representing Casey Anthony said Thursday that they believe the child is alive, and that he never told a cable television network the girl was dead.

Caylee's body has not been found in four months of searches, but her family has maintained she is alive.

"That is our belief," spokesman Todd Black said Thursday. "It's preposterous to report anything else."

The child's mother, Casey Anthony, was indicted Tuesday on charges of first-degree murder, aggravated abuse of a child, aggravated manslaughter and four counts of lying to investigators. Her attorneys have said she is innocent.

Black was interviewed by CNN Headline News on Tuesday. A transcript released by the network showed Black said "this is a very serious case involving not just the loss of the life of this little girl, but the loss of whatever is going to happen with Casey Anthony."

Jose Baez, Anthony's lawyer, held a news conference on Thursday to discuss the issue.

"We believe Caylee is alive," Baez said. "To take that out of context is a disservice to the Anthonys and the child."

The network stood by its interview.

"This was a live interview, and it is what he said," said Janine Iamunno, a Headline News spokeswoman.

Anthony told authorities that she had left her daughter with a baby sitter in June, and that when she returned after work, the two were gone.

Anthony said she spent the next month trying to find her daughter on her own and didn't call authorities out of fear. The child's grandmother called authorities and said her daughter's car "smelled like death."

But investigators said the apartment where the baby sitter supposedly lived had been vacant for months and that Anthony lied about her job.

Earlier this week, Baez, said: "I sincerely believe that when we have finally spoken, everyone, and I mean everyone, will sit back and say, 'Now, I understand. That explains it.'"

Judge Rules On Motions

Meanwhile, Ninth Circuit Judge Stan Strickland released his order on Anthony's motion to preserve forensic evidence and to consider additional testing.

The order stated:

"Being duly advised in the premises, the defendant's motion is denied in part and granted in part.

"Specifically, the portion of the defendant's motion which seeks to halt the handling and analysis of any and all forensic evidence is denied. The court knows of no authority or logical reason why the state should be prevented, even temporarily, from further analysis of relevant evidence.

"The defendant's request to be notified in advance regarding any further testing is granted. Following reasonable notice by the state the defendant may have an expert present to view any further scientific testing performed by the state. Should the defendant choose to have an expert present at any further testing, the expert's presence is merely to view and document the means and manner of testing. The right for a defense expert to be present at any further testing does not include the right to interfere with, thwart, or even comment on the testing procedures as they occur. The state shall make every effort to retain a large enough sample of any item tested so that the defense expert may have an opportunity to conduct their own test on same. Reliability and admissibility of any test performed by either party is not the subject of this motion or order."

Vehicle Swap Before Arrest

On Tuesday, Cindy Anthony, the mother of Casey Anthony, was videotaped scolding a TV news van and erratically cutting across traffic before her daughter was secretly transferred to a vehicle and later arrested during a wild post-indictment ride in Orlando streets.

A grand jury issued a sealed indictment charging Casey Anthony with first-degree murder in the death of daughter Caylee, even though the child's body has not been found during a four-month search.

The grand jury also charged Anthony with aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter and four counts of lying to investigators about Caylee's disappearance.

After the indictment was delivered, Casey Anthony and her mother left attorney Jose Baez's office in Kissimmee and began to drive around Orlando at about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Cindy Anthony was videotaped cutting across two lanes of traffic in an apparent attempt to lose several television crews following behind.

Anthony then cut across a shopping center and drove through parking lots.

Sky 6 showed Cindy Anthony eventually jumping out of the vehicle on a road and waving her finger at the driver of a television van while walking down the road.

Anthony jumped back in her SUV and drove into a no-fly zone near the Orlando International Airport and Casey Anthony switched vehicles.

"They pulled a switcharoo," a photographer yelled as the cars stopped underneath an overpass and out of view of helicopters.

A car traveling behind another sport utility vehicle then cut off a Local 6 vehicle.

Local 6 asked Baez about the incident.

"As he attempted to try to get away from them, he didn't know if someone was trying to harm Casey or what," Baez said. "At that point, finally, it turned about to be law enforcement and they in turned pulled him over and (the driver) identified himself as the bondsman."

Anthony was taken into custody by police during the stop.

Baez also said he didn't want a media circus or anyone filming Anthony being handcuffed, Local 6 reported.

A national search for Caylee continues.

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