What Was the Method Used to Murder Caylee?

Casey Anthony: Was duct tape used to murder Caylee?

Investigators try to link duct tape to Casey Anthony

By Amy L. Edwards and Anika Myers Palm, Orlando Sentinel
1:49 p.m. EST, February 16, 2010

Will prosecutors be able to link duct tape as a possible murder weapon to Casey Anthony?

Authorities are clearly taking a close look at duct tape in this case based on details released today and in the past.

In December, in fact, Assistant State Attorney Jeff Ashton described how prosecutors think Caylee died, with duct tape over her nose and mouth.

He suggested a child who was nearly 3 years old should have been able to remove the tape -- but Caylee could not, meaning she was either drugged or physically restrained, he said.

"If she was physically restrained, her killer would have had to restrain her arms by some means, applying tape while she was conscious," Ashton said in December.

"As the killer looked into her face, maybe her killer even saw her eyes as the tape was applied. ...Could Caylee have understood what was happening to her? Did she try to resist? Could the killer see the fear in her eyes as the tape was applied? These are questions only the jurors will be able to answer in this case."

So far, investigators have seized a roll of Henkel brand duct tape from the Anthony family home.

They found the same brand on a gas can that Casey Anthony once stored in her trunk.

And, tape found wrapped around Caylee's skull also was Henkel brand.

What remains unclear is whether the tape on her skull and the gas can came from the roll seized from the home or a separate roll all together.

That's what investigators are trying to determine.

Based photos, video clips and documents released today, they also are looking at duct tape used to post missing Caylee Anthony fliers in the days after the girl's disappearance.

One short video, which was shot by local news media, shows fliers placed on utility poles and in store windows were secured with duct tape.

Liz Brown, a new spokeswoman for the defense would not comment about specific information released today.

"The photos and documents released today demonstrate the extent of public access to the area where Caylee Anthony's remains were found," Brown said.

Other evidence released included photographs of a syringe, a Gatorade bottle and a child's car seat, as well as television news footage taken when Anthony's family, including parents George and Cindy Anthony, were still looking for the toddler.

Casey Anthony is charged with first-degree murder in the 2008 death of her daughter.

The footage from WFTV-Channel 9 shows brief clips of Caylee playing and turning the pages of a book; a flier featuring Caylee; some footage of a jailed Casey Anthony on the phone; and Casey's brother, Lee Anthony, speaking with media.

The toddler was reported missing in June 2008. Her remains were found scattered in woods in December 2008, just blocks away from the east Orange County home she shared with her mother and grandparents, George Anthony and Cindy Anthony.

Casey Anthony is accused of killing Caylee. She is being held on no bond in the Orange County Jail, and prosecutors are seeking the death penalty in the case.

The syringe and Gatorade bottle also were part of previously-released evidence.

Records show trace amounts of chloroform — a potentially deadly chemical — on some of the evidence, though it's unclear whether the chemical played a role in the child's death.

Authorities ruled Caylee's death a homicide, but they could not determine how she died.

An earlier released FBI report shows investigators found a plastic Gatorade Cool Blue sports-drink bottle near the child's remains.

A plastic bag labeled "Disposable Syringe Kit" with a syringe was found inside the bottle. A report indicates chloroform, testosterone, ethanol and water were inside the syringe.

Chloroform — a byproduct of the contact between pool-grade chlorine and skin, sweat or urine — is often depicted as a chemical that can render someone unconscious.

Commercially, it is used in refrigeration. But a person can die if too much of it is inhaled.

Among the other photographed items released Tuesday: a doll, what appears to be the liner from Casey Anthony's trunk and duct tape.

Also included are documents from the FBI Laboratory's Chemistry Unit, and several previously released items, including Casey Anthony's employee wage information and Orange County Sheriff's Office reports.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-casey-anthony-documents-20100216-1,0,4785241.story

i think the BEST chance they have to linking known tape from the anthony home to the actual duct tape around little caylees skull will no doubt be the missing posters..

it was relatively close to the time of the crime, that duct tape could have very well been from the exact same roll.. does anyone else see the sick irony in that??

i dont know if the tape played a role in her death, but one thing i do know for sure is that it was NEVER intended to be taken off. ..

it seems VERY plausible to me that caylee was alive when the tape was applied.. however, i believe that she had to have been drugged/sedated. .. very simple for killer to dose her up with something, tape around her nose and mouth, throw her in the trunk and be done with her. this would explain no tool marks (knives, trauma) to the bones, too much decomp to get toxicology, and it would be a "hands-off" approach to killing her-- and i figure the less actual work for KC, the better.

but.. the truth will NEVER come out of KC, so i dont think we will ever know for sure.. not sure i even want to, when it is speculation, the reality stays detatched... if i actually knew exactly what happened to caylee in her last moments, it would haunt me when i sleep.

Should Casey actually take the stand and claim she was going to tell the truth, finally, it would not be the truth but a well-thought-out excuse for what happened to Caylee. Her defense team is going to try any far-fetched fabrication that just might be believed by one uncertain, unconfident, easily-swayed juror.

I agree, Cali. But I don't think KC will take the stand, because if she does, the prosecution will tear her apart.... and her attorneys know it.

Snaz, I think KC is just "cocky" enough to actually take the stand against her lawyers advice. I guess time will tell. I think any chance of me, personally staying "detached" went right out the window with the carpet backing pictures. There had to be a lot of decomp for stains like that.

I'm just catching up on everything released today so I can't comment too much (or won't) but I think that a major key in this whole case, is going to be that duct tape.

Rest in Peace Caylee Marie

I wonder if anyone saved one of those Caylee posters that had the duct tape. Sometimes people for some reason save "souvenirs" of publicized events, and later they may be too embarrassed or publicity-shy to admit it. Or, even worse, after Caylee was found, the souvenir keeper went to Baez with the poster, knowing it would be "valuable".

Sources: Duct Tape Used To Kill Caylee
Anthony's Defense Says State Has No Definitive Proof Of Murder

POSTED: 10:30 am EST February 16, 2010
UPDATED: 6:29 pm EST February 16, 2010

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Sources close to the investigation said that a group of new pictures released Tuesday include images of what prosecutors said is the murder weapon used to kill Caylee Anthony.

According to sources, a strip of duct tape found on Caylee's mouth is one of three prosecutors believe were used by Casey Anthony to suffocate her daughter.

Anthony's defense maintains the tape is just a theory and the state has no definitive proof of the murder, citing that the state failed to find Anthony's prints on the duct tape.

"The biggest problem for the defense is that there can never be an innocent explanation for duct tape being fixed on a child's face," Orlando defense attorney Richard Hornsby said.

Hornsby said that the number of pieces of tape and where they were placed is critical.

"The fact that there was more than one piece and they were used to block the airways, clearly that's where the state is going to argue the premeditation comes from," Hornsby said.

The state attorney has denied comment, but in a December hearing, prosecutor Jeff Ashton first laid out his theory.

"Maybe her killer saw her eyes as she applied one piece, then two, then three so that no breath was possible," he said.

Hornsby also said that the defense is validating the state's theory by trying to cast doubt on Roy Kronk, the former meter reader who discovered Caylee's remains.

"The defense pointing at Roy Kronk as having used duct tape, they're admitting to tape being affixed to her face and Caylee suffocating," Hornsby said.

Also amid the documents released are photographs of the trunk liner taken from Anthony's white Pontiac and the rare Henkel brand of duct tape found on Caylee's small skull. The same type of tape was used by the Anthony family to put up fliers of Caylee when she was missing.

Enlarged photos showed a knife with a strand of something sticking to it. The photos were submitted to an FBI laboratory for testing, but the knife could not be linked to the duct tape.

The trunk liner photographs showed a flaky substance and what look like small stains. Larger stains are visible on the back of the liner.

Casey Anthony, 23, is in the Orange County Jail on no bond. She is charged with first-degree murder in the death of her daughter.

Caylee's remains were found in a wooded area off Suburban Drive near the Anthony family home in Dec. 2008.

Anthony maintains a nanny by the name of Zenaida Gonzalez kidnapped Caylee.

http://www.wesh.com/news/22578816/detail.html?treets=orl&tml=orl_break&ts=T&tmi=orl_break_1_01010102162010

My first post, and HI to everyone!

I'm not convinced the duct tape was used to smother Caylee, but if it was planted on her to make it fit the nanny kidnap story Casey sunk her own ship because, as Hornsby said, there is no innocent way to explain duct tape being over both Caylee's airways. That's to the prosecution's advantage because they don't need to come up any other scenarios for why the tape was there other than what it looks like, smothering.

The defense has the problem of presenting another scenario for the tape, and of course their argument will be that someone else put it on her. Absent any latent prints on the tape, the jury is left to assume a maybe on that, but if not Casey then who? The defense is going to have to present some possible persons who might have taped Caylee up.

They've got Kronk and his ex's determination that Kronk loved to tape her up with duct tape, but that's a stretch to believe Kronk had anything to do with Caylee's murder or disposal.

Other than that, they've got The Nanny and the kidnap story. But a kidnap by a nanny she trusted for over a year? All of a sudden this trusted nanny takes the baby and then kills her? I don't think a jury is going to go for that.

As I see it, the tape is Casey's downfall no matter is she suffocated Caylee with it or not, and it probably will get her the death penalty. The only possible way I can see out of this is for Casey to claim an accident happened and she panicked and staged a kidnapping with the tape and that she's been in denial this whole time believing her own lie to keep from facing the truth.

OMG AJ....


we agree again atlast...

what a beautiful day it is here at RC..

Welcome Lottie. You bring up some good points. No jury is likely to buy The Nanny story, or any theories that suggest Kronk is responsible for Caylee's death. I also agree that the tape will be a huge part of Casey's downfall, along with 31 days, decomp in the trunk, etc.

I can honestly say I don't know Casey was thinking when she did alot of things in this case.

She couldn't have applied the tape to Caylee only to quiet her, she covered the mouth and the nose, and the way the tape was embedded in Caylee's hair, it is obvious Casey had no intention of removing the tape from a live Caylee. She would have had to cut her hair!

I don't even think that at the time she dumped Caylee in the woods, she had the "The nanny took her & never gave her back" story made up yet. She kept telling everyone Caylee was being cared for by the nanny, or at the beach with the nanny, etc. and didn't mention the whole "I dropped her off at the stairs, between 9 & 1, & went back later & Caylee and the nanny were gone" story until after Cindy started grilling her for answers after Cindy picked her up from Tony's.

I honestly don't know if Casey was trying to stage a kidnapping in June, because I don't think she thought that far ahead into July.

I think she thought she could just keep on saying oh, Caylee's sleeping, she's at DisneyWorld, she's at the beach, she's here, she's there, etc.

Lee even said that he told her the police will tell Casey "Take us to her now," and that in his words she looked like reality slapped her right there and then. That's the point she made of a "kidnapping" story.

I'm not so sure the tape was put over Caylee's nose. The forensics said it was over her nasal aperture and that's pretty close to her eyes. I laid a roll of duct tape over my eyes to check the width and see how far the tape would reach down my nose and the tape actually covered where my nasal aperture is. On a child the reach would be even closer. Maybe Caylee's eyes were taped and when the tape sloughed off with the decomposing skin tissue it just appeared to have been only over her nostrils in the first place. That could mean her eyes and mouth could have been taped like a kidnapper might do.

But that's just if the tape pieces weren't all together making one large piece. I haven't seen where the forensics mentioned if the 3 pieces of tape were joined or not or even where the third piece of tape was.

It doesn't matter though. The tape being on her at all is enough without trying to analyze it's original placement. If the prosecution got it wrong during the trial and presented that the tape was in fact placed over her nasal airway to suffocate her, what's Casey going to do? Jump up and scream NO it was just her eyes!

Hi Lottie & Welcome to RC!

I'm not exactly sure how the duct tape was wrapped either but one thing I AM sure of...It was NOT meant to come back off. I sort of lean toward the duct tape being used to keep fluids from leaking, but that's just my opinion. I'm sure it wasn't meant to come though because no one puts three layers of duct tape one ANYTHING and expect to get it back off.

I wish this case would just go to trial already. Move the crazy to regular prison & get it over with.

Justice for Caylee...

Well, AJ, it sure wouldn't have been hard for Casey to throw Caylee into the pool and let her drown. It's not like Caylee would have been screaming for help. Kid's that age don't know they are drowning. She'd just have been floundering about gasping until she died.

The interesting thing about that is how Cindy inserted into the equation that maybe Jesse drowned Caylee in their pool.

If Caylee did drown, it would be necessary to place the blame for it in advance in case the body were found while there was still time to discover a drowning had happened. But this is to suggest Cindy was aware of a drowning.

I, personally, don't believe the tape was used to keep anything from leaking. And I also don't believe that the tape was put on after Caylee was dead to validate the "kidnapping" story.

I DO believe KC placed the tape on Caylee while she was alive... what I am unsure of is the PURPOSE of the tape... I am unsure whether KC used it to suffocate Caylee or whether she used it after she was already subdued to keep her from crying out if she woke up.... I agree with Fysty that KC did not intend that tape to ever be removed.

I believe the tape WAS over the mouth and nose.... the nasal aperture is the nasal opening..... Also, if the tape wasn't clearly over the nose area, if it could be proven the tape was not over the nose, I don't think Jeff Ashton would have used that example in the last hearing. He would be shooting himself in the foot to do so if the tape wasn't over the nose as well as the mouth, and all the defense would have to do is refer to the autopsy report. (Geeze, I hope all that made sense!!)

As always, JMO.

While a drowning theory still sort of makes sense, I don't think she tossed her in the pool and let her drown on her own, because then it would have been a whole lot easier to say Caylee snuck outside while MOTY was making her lunch or something, and climbed the pool ladder which was left on the side of the pool by someone other than MOTY, and that Caylee drowned on her own & Casey found her that way & she could have boo-hooed and poked her eyes a few times to make it seem real.

i personally hope i never know for SURE.. it would be too much..

but, having said that.. my "theory" is that caylee was drugged (with either OTC baby meds--high dosage, or maybe even the chloroform that keeps rearing its ugly head) ... after being subdued, i believe the tape was placed over her nose and mouth in a calculating way to block all airflow. then, KC could have just walked away, and let it happen. I think this is the most likely scenario, as it would be easy and not require a witness to the ultimate end.

one thing i know for sure,... KC is lazy, and will always choose the path of least resistance. this is why i believe the "hands-off" approach with the duct tape doing the actual "dirty work" seems most fitting to her personality flaws.

Randi, I agree 110% on your theory of how KC killed Caylee.... chloroform does keep rearing its ugly head, so it will not surprise me if there is some involved somehow in her death. But I think you are right on about the duct tape.

Randi & Snaz:

Hopefully this isn't too graphic, but unless Casey is totally heartless, which she is, wouldn't a larger OD on OTC children's meds, or even adult strength meds, without duct tape, be a whole lot easier? She could have avoided using the duct tape if she used enough meds, and just let her fall into an endless sleep. If chloroform was the killer, I always thought she would have/could have put her in the trunk with a chloroform soaked rag near her face, and still avoid the duct tape. If Caylee was in the small, enclosed trunk with a soaked rag, why the duct tape?

I'm not arguing with you, I just never understood the point of the duct tape, and still don't, and maybe never will, unless Casey "tells all", which she's such a liar, I probably wouldn't believe her story anyway.

When the story first broke, I thought the duct tape was to stage a kidnapping, but she didn't know how things were going to happen a month later. There's things about this theory too that don't completely fit to me either.

Hopefully this all makes sense.

An overdose on OTC meds makes sense if Casey wasn't lying about Caylee having caught a cold the first week of June. I remember reading some texts or IM's of Casey where she talked about having a cold twice in a row and then passing it to Caylee in early June. If any of that is true maybe she gave Caylee some of her adult meds she had on hand and killed her by accident. But she lied so much, maybe Casey wasn't even ever sick and then neither was Caylee ever sick.

This is one confusing case! For me it's because I have a hard time believing a mother could be so evil to plan to and to kill her child and so remorseless to not care after she did it. But it happens all the time.