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Two-year-old Caylee Anthony was supposedly last seen on June 16, 2008, and was first reported missing by her grandmother, a month later on July 15. Caylee's remains were found months later in a wooded area near the family home and her young mother, Casey Anthony, was soon charged with first-degree murder, leading to one of the most high-profile and controversial cases.
Casey initially claimed that she thought her daughter was with the babysitter, which soon proved to be untrue. She was the primary suspect and was charged with multiple counts, including charges of providing false information to the police. However, she was found not guilty by the jury due to lack of forensic evidence connecting her to the murder.
Many more shocking revelations have surfaced over the years, which makes the case even more mysterious. To this day, it remains uncertain what exactly happened to Caylee Anthony all those years ago.
Skeletal remains found in family home, and 4 other key facts about Caylee Anthony's murder
1) Caylee Anthony was reported missing in mid-July 2008 by her grandmother
Caylee Anthony's grandmother Cindy Anthony reportedly called 911 on July 15, 2008, to report that her granddaughter had been missing for a month. She said that the mother of the child, Casey Anthony, had failed to let anybody know about this piece of information. Cindy told authorities:
"I found out my granddaughter has been taken, she has been missing for a month."
Further talking about her daughter Casey, she also told police that:
"I found my daughter's car today and it smelled like there's been a dead body in the damn car."
2) Caylee's mother Casey Anthony claimed that her daughter was with the babysitter
During the initial stages of the missing person investigation, Casey Anthony claimed that her two-year-old daughter was with the nanny, named Zenaida "Zanny" Gonzalez. However, this claim was quickly proven false. She would later admit to lying about the subject to authorities. She also lied about working at Universal Studios and confessed to telling multiple other lies.
3) Casey was charged with first-degree murder of Caylee in October
Once Caylee was reported missing, authorities immediately started investigating the case, leaving no stone unturned. In the several months that followed, hundreds of people joined law enforcement in searching for Caylee Anthony in an effort to uncover fresh information on the case. In October 2008, Casey was charged with seven felonies, including first-degree murder, and she entered a not guilty plea.
4) Skeletal remains were found near Caylee's family home in Florida
A utility worker discovered Caylee Anthony's skeletal remains on December 11, 2008, in a wooded area near the Anthony home. Her lips were tightly sealed with duct-tape. The remains were found inside two garbage bags along with children's clothing, a Winnie the Pooh blanket, and a child's pull-up diaper. Experts also revealed that the presence of decaying human remains was tested in Casey's car.
5) A jury found Casey Anthony not guilty of murdering her two-year-old daughter
Casey's case, led by famous private investigator Patrick McKenna on her defense team, proved stronger than the prosecution's case, who alleged that she murdered Caylee Anthony to free herself from parental responsibilities and later dumped her body in the woods. Casey allegedly knocked her unconscious using chloroform and then suffocated her to death by duct-taping her mouth and nose.
The defense, on the other hand, argued that the two-year-old accidentally drowned in the family's swimming pool. They also accused the victim's grandfather of disposing of the dead body. The defense's strong case, built on the accused's past trauma and alleged s*xual abuse, stood firm and the jury ultimately found her not guilty of the murder.
Learn more about Caylee Anthony's brutal murder on ID's Casey Anthony: The Real Story.
