The investigator and the general population have been haunted by this question since 2-year-old Caylee Anthony was reported as missing on July 15, 2008. Cindy Anthony, Caylee’s grandmother, made three 911 calls to report that Caylee was no longer present – and that she had not seen her alive for a period of 31 days.
“It smells like there’s been a deceased individual in the darn car,” she informed the operator at one point.
According to CBS News, authorities have not yet identified the woman known as Gonzalez “Zanny” Zenaida, who later claimed to be the sitter and stated that her daughter, Caylee, had been kidnapped by Casey Anthony, Caylee’s mother.
The decomposing remains of Caylee were discovered near the wooded area, close to the Anthony family’s home in Orlando, Florida. It took several months until December 2008 to find her.
The mystery of how and who killed her still lingers — whether Caylee ended up alive or dead.
As per a CNN report during that period, Caylee’s remains were discovered concealed within numerous plastic sacks, with adhesive tape covering her face.
During the examination of the body, Dr. Jan Garavaglia, the primary medical examiner for Orange County, stated, “The mandible was kept intact, indicating that this adhesive tape was undoubtedly applied before the process of decomposition took place.”
They were unable to ascertain exactly how she died, as the cause of death was listed as “homicide,” although the means remained undetermined.
Anthony Casey, who had failed to report his missing daughter, was charged and arrested for aggravated manslaughter, aggravated child abuse, as well as first-degree murder, after providing false information to law enforcement.
The outlet reported that George had found Casey’s body in the family’s pool, covered up her death, and then proceeded to way right it. Meanwhile, the defense argued that Caylee had drowned in the pool, and it was an accident. Before Caylee vanished, someone had googled “chloroform” at the Anthony residence, according to CNN. Prosecutors argued at her trial that Casey, who was burdened by being a sick mother, used chloroform to suffocate her daughter before duct-taping her.
The ambiguity surrounding the true cause of Caylee’s demise influenced certain jurors and led to Casey’s acquittal on the charges of murder.
Following the trial, a male juror, who chose to remain anonymous, informed PEOPLE Magazine a month later that Casey Anthony was disliked by all of us. “She appears to be an awful individual. However, the prosecutors failed to present sufficient evidence for us to find her guilty. They presented a plethora of information that led us to believe she may have done something wrong, but not to the extent that convinced us beyond a reasonable doubt,” he stated.
Jennifer Ford, another juror, elaborated on this decision in an interview with ABC News, saying that the theory presented by the prosecutors seemed more believable than the argument made by the defense.
Ford stated, “These are significant inquiries, and they remained unanswered.” “If you intend to accuse someone of murder, shouldn’t you possess knowledge of their method or motive for killing, or possess some evidence regarding the location, time, motive, and method?”
As reported by CNN, Casey Anthony was set free 10 days after her conviction and given a four-year prison term with credit for time already served. She was declared culpable for four minor offenses of giving incorrect details to law enforcement, but she was acquitted of charges of premeditated murder, severe child abuse, and reckless killing of a child in July 2011.
No other individual has ever faced allegations in connection with the demise of Caylee Anthony. The precise cause of her passing remains an enigma.