Mom Charged With Murder in Caylee Anthony Case
Casey Anthony had been eyed since daughter Caylee was reported missing July 15.
Oct. 14, 2008— -- A Florida grand jury has indicted the mother of missing toddler Caylee Anthony on first degree murder charges.
Casey Anthony, 22, was charged in an indictment unsealed today with intentionally killing her daughter. She was also charged with aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter and providing false information to law enforcement.
Suspicion has swirled around Anthony since her daughter, Caylee, was reported missing July 15 in Orange County. At the time, Anthony allegedly told her family and police she had not seen her daughter for 31 days and investigators said she had given them changing and inaccurate information since then.
The sheriff's department has said it believes Caylee is probably dead.
George Anthony, the father of Casey Anthony, testified this morning before a grand jury hearing evidence against his daughter, sources close to the case told ABC News. George had previously claimed his daughter's behavior was unusual around the time Caylee went missing, and his testimony in front of the grand jury is expected to echo those statements
"This is going to be very hard for me to do," he told reporters outside the courthouse this morning, according to CNN.
"The focus has always been on my granddaughter and always will be. I love my daughter, I love my wife, I love my son," Anthony said. "If someone could take a moment out at 11 o'clock this morning and 11 o'clock tonight and just pray for her. That's all I'm asking for. That's all I can say."
The little girl's disappearance has gripped the nation: For weeks, search teams, both professional and volunteer, have fanned out across central Florida looking for any trace of the child.
During a news conference today, attorney Jose Baez said his client's behavior would be explained at trial.
"We have a court system set up for this," he said. "I sincerely believe when we have finally spoken, everyone, and I mean everyone, will sit back and say, now I understand, that explains it."
Caylee was 2 years old when she was reported missing July 15, but her mother told police that she had not seen her daughter in 31 days.
A law enforcement source has told ABC News that investigators found evidence of human decomposition in the trunk of Anthony's car.