Report: Evidence of Body Decomposition in Casey Anthony's Trunk
Forensic report says evidence of body decomposition found in Casey Anthony's car
Oct. 24, 20080—, 2008 -- Scientists found evidence of body decomposition and traces of chloroform in the car trunk of a Florida woman accused of killing her daughter, according to forensics reports released today.
Lab reports from the FBI found that a hair strand in the trunk of Casey Anthony's car showed "characteristics of apparent decomposition." The hair is "microscopically similar" to hair strands found on Caylee Anthony's brush, but the report said it could not conclusively say the hair in the trunk came from the missing girl.
Caylee Anthony, who would now be 3 years old, has not been seen since June. Her mother Casey has been charged with first-degree murder. She has pleaded not guilty.
The state attorney's office on Friday also released an air sample report from a Tennessee lab that found chemical compounds consistent with body decomposition. Chemicals in air samples were "consistent with a decompositional event that could be of human origin," the report said.
The tests also found chloroform residue on portions of the trunk.
Suspicion has swirled around Anthony , 22,since her daughter was reported missing July 15 in Orange County, Fla.
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 case began with an emergency call from Anthony's mother, Cindy Anthony. On the tape, she can be heard saying, "I can't find my granddaughter. ... There's something wrong," Cindy Anthony said. "I found my daughter's car today and it smelled like there's been a dead body in the damn car."
Cindy Anthony later retracted that statement, saying that the smell in the car could have been from garbage. But Casey Anthony became a person of interest in the case after she allegedly gave police conflicting information about her daughter's whereabouts.
She was charged earlier this month with murder, aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter and providing false information to law enforcement.