Cindy Anthony Pens Eulogy for Slain Granddaughter Caylee

Feb. 8, 2009 — -- Cindy Anthony, grandmother of slain Florida toddler Caylee Anthony, wrote a eulogy for the little girl in which she said Caylee "now has her angel wings and will be watching over so many other children."

The eulogy, first published in the Orlando Sentinel, marks Cindy's first public comments since investigators confirmed last month that a child's remains found less than a mile from the Anthony home were Caylee's.

"Caylee's life may have been short-lived on this Earth," the eulogy read, "but her life will not have ended without a purpose. She will be sadly missed but never forgotten."

Click here to read the full eulogy.

The statement also announced the Anthony family's plan to establish the Caylee Marie Anthony Foundation, whose purpose "will be to continue to generate awareness for missing children and to establish programs to assist in the well-being of those children in need of comfort and support during difficult and stressful times."

A public memorial service is scheduled to take place at the First Baptist Church of Orlando on Tuesday. The church boasts a seating capacity of 5,000, but one face will be strikingly absent from the expected crowd of mourners -- Caylee's mother, Casey Anthony.

Casey, who was charged with her daughter's murder in October, will not be allowed to attend the service.

Casey originally reported the child missing in July, but said the two-year-old had disappeared a month earlier.

Click here for a timeline of the case.

The day after she reported the child missing, Casey was arrested on charges including child neglect. During a bond hearing July 22, authorities named her a "person of interest" in Caylee's disappearance and said they were treating the case as a potential homicide after discovering "evidence of decomposition" in the trunk of a car that Casey Anthony had driven.

On Oct. 14, with Caylee's body still missing, Casey Anthony was officially charged with first-degree murder.

Casey's parents, George and Cindy Anthony, have steadfastly maintained Casey's innocence and have called her a "victim" in the case.

The discovery of Caylee's remains took a heavy emotional toll on the pair and even pushed George Anthony to the brink of suicide.