Caylee's Mouth and Nose Were Covered With Tape
Autopsy reports no signs of drugs, trauma on toddler's body before death.
June 19, 2009 -- The autopsy for slain toddler Caylee Anthony could not determine the cause of death for the young girl, but revealed that her head had been wrapped in duct tape from her chin to her nose.
Pink, glittery cloth letters that may have spelled out "Big" and "Trouble" were found near the skeletal remains, the autopsy report said.
The report, which was released today by Florida's Orange-Osceola State Attorney's Office, showed that duct tape was wrapped around Caylee's head, covering her mandible and maxilla, essentially from the bottom of her chin to over her nose.
"This duct tape was clearly placed prior to decomposition," said the report.
The tape was still attached to the skull, holding the jaw in place, the report said.
The autopsy said it found no evidence of trauma on Caylee's tiny skeleton and no traces of drugs in her system.
CLICK HERE for a timeline of the Caylee Anthony case.
Investigators spent more than a week combing through the wooded area where a meter reader had found the toddler's body on Dec. 11, 2008, just a few miles from the Caylee family's Florida home.
Plant life that had grown into and around the child's skeleton leads investigators to believe that the body had been placed in the area "months prior to being found."
"There is nothing inconsistent with the body being placed there soon after the day of being last seen alive," reads the report.
Two large black plastic trash bags and a canvas-style laundry bag were also found alongside the body as well as four groups of cloth letters that had a "glittery appearance."
The first group of letters spelled out "big," the second set spelled "trouble," the third set spelled "comes" and the fourth spelled "small." All of the letters are similar in appearance, according to the report, and were found with pink colored stitching that "appears to be from the seams and hems of a shirt."
Speculations on the Internet suggest that the letters came from a popular toddler shirt with the phrase "Big Trouble Comes in Small Packages."
A "Winnie the Pooh" blanket and a pair of shorts labeled "Size 24 months" were also found at the scene by investigators.
The bones had apparently been scattered by animals and several pieces from the skeleton appear to have "postmortem animal activity evident" as well.
Casey Anthony Is Charged With Murder
Caylee's mother, 23-year-old Casey Anthony, is charged with first-degree murder in her daughter's death and has pled not guilty, stating that the child's babysitter kidnapped the toddler.
State prosecutors have said that they will seek the death penalty for Anthony if she is convicted.
Seen just over a year ago at age 2, Caylee's disappearance wasn't reported until July 2008, nearly a month after she disappeared. Her remains were found in December, less than a mile from the home she and her mother shared with the toddler's grandparents.
Her death was ruled a homicide of undetermined means.
Orlando Judge Stan Strickland released the autopsy to the public despite emotional pleas from the deceased toddler's grandfather, who stormed out of court this morning at the news that the findings of the medical examiner would be released to the media.
"Please give us some peace and show us some dignity," said George Anthony, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
On ABC's "Good Morning America" Tuesday, the one-year anniversary of the last day George Anthony saw his granddaughter alive, the grandparents' lawyer said that the release of the autopsy would cause "great anguish" to the family.