Casey Anthony Can't Attend Daughter Caylee's Funeral

Dec. 23, 2008— -- Casey Anthony, the 22-year-old accused of killing her daughter, Caylee, is not eligible to attend either a funeral or a viewing of her daughter's remains, the Orange County Corrections Department says.

The department said corrections policy prevented Casey Anthony from attending, based on the severity of the charges against her and safety and security risks.

Casey Anthony was charged in October with first-degree murder in the death of her daughter, who was reported missing in July. The child's remains were found Dec. 11, less than a quarter mile from the home she shared with her mother and grandparents.

No funeral has been scheduled for Caylee, who would have turned 3 in August, though her grandparents announced today that they would hold a public memorial service for the girl.

Casey Anthony is being held in the jail in Orange County, Fla.. She has pleaded not guilty.

Caylee's death was ruled a "homicide of undetermined means" by Orange County chief medical examiner Jan Garavaglia last week. The medical examiner has asked for toxicology tests to be performed on the girl's remains.

The identification brought one tragic answer to a mystery that has gripped the nation since Casey Anthony reported her 2-year-old missing a month after she disappeared in June. It is not clear whether Caylee died before or after her third birthday Aug. 9.

"There's been an open wound in the community," Orange County Sheriff Kevin Beary said when he announced that the remains had been identified. "We can start putting some closure to those open wounds. The bottom line is, folks, no child should have to go through this."

The remains were found in a wooded area where trash and dead pets were routinely dumped.

Garavaglia said that the child's remains were scattered and "completely skeletonized," but neither she nor the sheriff would discuss what other evidence was found with the bones.

Beary said Caylee's family was notified, including her mother and her grandparents. According to Beary, the sheriff department's focus will now shift toward preparing for Anthony's homicide trial.

"This has been a long case, but it's by far not over with yet," Beary said. "We've got a lot more to do to get it ready to go to trial."

The case began with an emergency call from Casey Anthony's mother, Cindy Anthony, in mid-July.

On the tape, she is heard frantically telling emergency operators, "I can't find my granddaughter. ... There's something wrong. ... I found my daughter's car today and it smelled like there's been a dead body in the damn car."

Casey Anthony then got on the phone and reported she may have a missing child.

Cindy Anthony later retracted that statement, saying that the smell in the car could have been from garbage.

As investigators would quickly learn, this would be the first of many twists and story changes in the curious case.

CLICK HERE for a timeline of the case of Caylee Anthony.