Caylee Anthony Update 10 May 2010

The Associated Press
Monday, May 10, 2010; 10:07 AM 

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Jurors in the trial of a Florida mother charged with killing her 2-year-old daughter will be picked from outside Orlando after attorneys argued residents there were tainted by negative media reports.

Chief Judge Belvin Perry ruled at a hearing Monday that the 12 potential jurors and six potential alternates in Casey Anthony's trial will be chosen from somewhere in Florida outside Orlando.
The judge says he will tell attorneys when he decides where to hold the trial, but that information will be kept secret until just before the trial begins.
Anthony has pleaded not guilty to murdering her daughter, Caylee, and said a baby sitter kidnapped the toddler. Her trial is set to start in May 2011.

Brittanee Drexel Update 13 April 2010

Update: Myrtle Beach Police have identified three or four "persons of interest" (fancy speak for suspects) in the Spring Break disappearance of Brittanee Drexel. They have not released  the names of the suspects. Sadly, they also believe that the 17-year old is no longer alive. The tips that led to the identification of the persons of interest started rolling in during December. More information can be found here.

Caylee Anthony Update 19 March 2010

Like I have said all along, there is no way that Casey Anthony could pay for her expensive defense. And guess what, she has gone hat in hand to the judge in her case to ask for the State of Florida to pay. And guess what it probably will. Casey (and probably Jose Baez) knew that she couldn't afford to pay, so either publicity whore Jose should have worked pro bono or she should have use a public defender like all the others who can't afford a lawyer.


And it has come out that they have been making deals. Not movie or book deals, but deals none the less.

Attorneys for Casey Anthony, a Florida woman accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter, told a judge Thursday that state funding for her defense is needed, as their money has run out. "There is no dispute that Casey Anthony is indigent," J. Cheney Mason, the newest member of Anthony's defense team, said at a Thursday hearing.
Orange County Circuit Judge Stan Strickland, however, required Anthony's attorneys to testify about how their funds have been spent to date before considering whether to allow public funds to be used, and he resisted attorneys' efforts to account for the funding behind closed doors.
"My problem is, you're seeking public funds," Strickland said, telling attorneys they are "trying to punch and get out of the way at the same time." Affidavits submitted by the defense, he said, were "pretty light in terms of full disclosure." He had the attorneys testify in court Thursday.
Strickland deferred a ruling on the issue until he receives not only the defense attorneys' testimony, but also information from the Justice Administrative Commission, the state agency that oversees funding. The commission has opposed allocating funding for Anthony's defense, saying in court papers it has "severe concerns" about whether she qualifies for financial assistance.
Anthony is charged with first-degree murder in the death of her daughter Caylee and has pleaded not guilty. Her trial is scheduled to begin on May 9, 2011. The state is seeking the death penalty against her.
Caylee Anthony's body was found in a lot near her grandparents' home in December 2008, six months after she went missing.

The grandparents -- Casey Anthony's parents, George and Cindy Anthony -- have supported their daughter but now are fighting foreclosure on their home, according to a complaint filed by Bank of America.

Lead defense attorney Jose Baez testified Thursday that the defense received and spent about $275,000 over the past year and a half. Of that, $5,000 came from an anonymous donor, $70,000 came from a former defense attorney, Todd Macaluso, and $200,000 came from ABC through a "deal" with Anthony. The terms of the deal were not released.

That money, he said, was spent on defense costs including travel, depositions and retention of experts. "It's been quite an expensive task," he said.

Rumors that Baez is to receive $700,000 after the trial are "completely false," he said. Baez and other defense attorneys testified they have no book or movie deals in the works.

Baez, who testified that he has spent about 2,500 hours on the case, has been paid an estimated $89,454, according to financial affidavits released by the court and written in what appears to be Casey Anthony's handwriting. Attorney Andrea Lyon has received $22,500, but testified Thursday that all of that money went back into costs associated with the case. "There's not a dime" left, she said.

Anthony wrote that both attorneys "were or are being paid by myself" and said that her income is "zero" and her assets are "zero." She did not list her debts or liabilities.

A third defense attorney, Linda Kenney Baden, testified that she is working pro bono -- for free -- on the case. Mason said he also is pro bono.

An attorney for the Justice Administrative Commission participated in the hearing by telephone.

Baez and Lyon say in a four-page motion that they are not asking the state to pay their legal fees but to assist with funding for other costs to defend Anthony. The defense is seeking help with costs that include service of subpoenas, investigative costs, travel, fees charged by experts to interpret forensic evidence, expert witness fees and the cost of depositions.

The defense attorneys say in their court papers that Anthony is entitled to financial assistance under the Constitution's Sixth Amendment, which protects her right to a fair trial. Because prosecutors have said they are seeking the death penalty, Anthony also is entitled to "the unique standard of care required for a capital defense," the attorneys say.

The central focus of the commission's response appeared to be based on Anthony's own financial affidavit: "Because the defendant has been able to provide over $110,000.00 in her defense, the JAC has severe concerns regarding the defendant's indigence," it said.

The commission cites Florida law, which requires the court to consider "when applicant retained private counsel" and "the amount of any attorney's fees and who is paying the fees." In regard to travel expenses, the response says that counsel will need to properly complete a travel voucher, but also states that "JAC does not pay for reimbursement of travel expenses for privately retained counsel."

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Caylee Anthony 25 January

Casey Anthony, the young Florida mother awaiting trial in the death of her daughter, Caylee, pleaded guilty Monday to check fraud and was sentenced to time served.
Anthony admitted stealing a checkbook from a friend, Amy Huizenga, and writing four checks worth nearly $650. She wiped tears from her eyes as she spoke briefly in court.
"I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm sorry for what I did," she said. "I take complete and full responsibility for my actions, and I'd like to apologize to Amy. I wish I'd been a better friend.
Attorney Jose Baez asked the court to give Anthony credit for time served and place her on probation in the check case. The judge agreed that Anthony already has spent more time in jail than any sentence she could receive in the check case.
Anthony has made full restitution, Baez said. Before her arrest, she had no prior criminal record, he added.

The guilty plea means Anthony now has six felony convictions on her record. Her arrest in the check case came during a highly-publicized police investigation into the disappearance of her daughter, Caylee.

Anthony has pleaded not guilty to murder in the death of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee.
The toddler's skeletal remains were discovered December 11, 2008, six months after she disappeared. The remains were bagged and partially buried in a swampy, vacant lot, and duct tape covered the child's mouth.
Police released documents last year showing they believed that Caylee was killed within days of the time she was last seen and that her body was in the trunk of her mother's car for "a period of time."
Authorities have said that the cause of Caylee's death is homicide by undetermined means.

Anthony's parents, George and Cindy Anthony, were present in court for the plea. George Anthony waved to his daughter as she was led from the courtroom.
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David Goldman Will Have Son Returned From Brazil

A Brazilian court ordered Wednesday that 9-year-old Sean Goldman be returned to the custody of his father, David, in the United States, but his Brazilian relatives were expected to try to block the order, a Brazilian official said.
Outside his home in New Jersey, David Goldman told reporters he was heartened by the news, but would not consider his efforts successful until he and his son are reunited. He departed Wednesday night on a flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport for Rio de Janeiro.
"I'm hopeful," he said. "I can't be optimistic because I've gone down there so many times, always under the guise that the rule of law will be followed and Sean will come home to me and his family, and that doesn't happen."
The 3-0 ruling by the Federal Regional Tribunal in Rio de Janeiro upheld a June decision by the 16th Federal Court in Rio, which ordered Sean returned to his home in New Jersey in accordance with the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of Child Abductions.

But a Brazilian official with knowledge of the case predicted Wednesday's order would be appealed. So far, the boy's Brazilian family has filed 40 appeals, most of them procedural but one substantive.

The Brazilian high court is to take up any appeal on Thursday, said Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, who has been pressing the case for his constituent. "Frankly, every possible nuance has been appealed by the other side," he told CNN's "Situation Room." "Remember, this is an abducting family, they're kidnappers, but they have had a great deal of sway with the court."
The Supreme Court could still allow Sean Goldman to be returned to his father in the United States while it decides any appeal.
Goldman, a former model, said he had last spoken with his son in June, but they did not discuss the custody battle.
The case began in 2004, when his wife, Bruna Bianchi, took their 4-year-old son from their home in New Jersey to Rio de Janeiro for what was to have been a two-week vacation. She never returned, instead remarrying there and retaining custody of their son. She died last year in childbirth.
Goldman has argued that, as the sole surviving parent, he should be granted custody. But the boy's stepfather and his other Brazilian relatives have argued that it would be traumatizing to the boy to remove him from what has been his home for most of his life.
The case has drawn high-profile input, including pressure for the boy's return from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who said Wednesday in a statement that she was pleased to hear about the decision.

"We appreciate the assistance and cooperation of the government of Brazil in upholding its obligations under the Hague Convention on International Child Abduction," she said. "And it is my hope that this long legal process is now complete and that the Goldman family will be reunited quickly."

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Caylee Anthony Update 11 December

A Florida mother charged with killing her 2-year-old daughter sobbed in court Friday as a prosecutor speculated aloud that the toddler was methodically drugged and suffocated with tape.
Casey Anthony cried as prosecutor Jeff Ashton suggested that Caylee Anthony's killer restrained her arms, dosed her with something that knocked her unconscious and put duct tape over her mouth and nose.
Ashton offered the scenario when explaining why he believes the case would qualify for the death penalty.
"Her killer would prepare some substance in advance that would render her physically unable to resist," said Ashton during the pretrial hearing. "If the killer looked at her face, maybe the killer saw her eyes ... First one piece (of tape), then two, then three so that no breath was possible."
The cause of Caylee's death remains unknown, but duct tape was found on the body.
Ashton offered the scenario in response to a defense request to bar prosecutors from seeking the death penalty.
Circuit Judge Stan Strickland said he would rule later.
Because the cause of death is still unknown, prosecutors are unable to prove that she suffered a heinous, cruel or atrocious death, which is the standard under Florida law for seeking the death penalty, said Andrea Lyon, one of Anthony's attorneys.
"The real reason the state has asked for the death penalty is because they wish to get as biased a jury as they possibly can," Lyon said. "It has the effect of coercing pleas in cases where that may in fact not be appropriate."
Anthony's attorneys contend that jurors in death-penalty cases, who are screened to eliminate those with moral objections to capital punishment, are more likely to convict defendants. The defense also says the threat of the death penalty could be used to coerce Anthony into making a plea agreement.
Anthony has pleaded not guilty and her trial is expected to start next year.

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Shaniya Davis Update 20 November

Mario McNeill, the pervert who murdered little Shaniya Davis, was charged with raping and strangling the girl. He has admitted to kidnapping Shaniya (Probably in hopes of getting a lesser sentence, not out of the kindness of his heart.) He will be charged with first degree rape of a child and first degree murder.

Her mother,Antoinette Davis is charged with trafficking and child abuse involving prostitution. They should charge her with slavery. I think that if they are going to charge her with human trafficking they might as well take it the extra step.

Where Was Shaniya Davis Killed?

Authorities in North Carolina said Wednesday that they will need to determine where the killing of a 5-year-old girl occurred before additional charges are filed in the case. The body of Shaniya Davis, who was reported missing in Fayetteville last week, was found Monday beside a road near Sanford, which is about 30 miles northwest of Fayetteville, police said.
The girl's mother, Antoinette Nicole Davis, has been charged with human trafficking and other offenses, and another suspect, Mario Andrette McNeill, has been charged with kidnapping in the case.
A Tuesday statement from the Fayetteville police says that jurisdiction is "governed by where the criminal conduct occurred. Right now, this is an ongoing investigation and as such we are still determining the details surrounding the death of the child."
On Wednesday, Fayetteville Police Chief Tom Bergamine said jurisdiction will need to be determined before other charges are filed.
He did not elaborate on what charges might be pending.
"Several of the details regarding the investigation have a direct impact on which county will assume jurisdiction and prosecute this case," Bergamine told reporters at a news conference.
"The district attorneys from the involved jurisdictions are discussing the matter and ultimately will make that decision," he said.
Fayetteville is in Cumberland County, while Sanford is in Lee County. The district attorneys from those counties did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment Wednesday.
Davis reported her daughter missing last week from their home in a mobile home park. According to police, surveillance video taken November 10 from a hotel in Sanford shows Shaniya in the company of McNeill.
"The investigation at this point indicates that Shaniya Davis was alive at the time she left the Sanford hotel," police said.
Following Davis' arrest over the weekend, police spokeswoman Teresa Chance said Davis had been "prostituting her child."

Shaniya's father, Bradley Lockhart, made a tearful appeal before reporters Tuesday afternoon, asking that "everybody makes it a point not to ignore, to look past a situation where a person, a child, or anybody might be in danger ... so that we don't have another tragedy like Shaniya."

 These perverts didn't need to kill that girl. What they did was horrible, but the sad truth is that it happens to thousands of children every year. But those unfortunate children are given the chance at escape: foster care, the other parent or relatives, even adulthood. But they killed Shaniya anyway. They should receive the death penalty if for no other reason than that. She would have been scarred for life, but she would have had a chance to build a better life sooner or later. And that crack head mother of hers is ten times more guilty than anyone. You don't prostitute your child to pay a drug debt. A mother's job is to protect her child from the evil out there in the world. There should be special punishment for her. It's the South, weren't they lynching people not too long ago.
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Jaycee Dugard Speaks and the 1st Photo

Jaycee Dugard has already sold her story to People Magazine. The issue will be out Friday.

After being held against her will for 18 years, much of it in a backyard hell straight out of a horror film, Jaycee Dugard wants the world to know:

"I'm so happy to be back with my family," she tells PEOPLE.

Now living in seclusion with her mom, Terry Probyn, 50, and the two daughters – Angel, 15, and Starlit, 11 – fathered by her alleged kidnapper, Phillip Garrido, Dugard, 29, has begun the slow process of recovery. She rides horses, cooks meals and is thinking of collaborating on a book.

"They live a surprisingly normal life, considering the circumstances," says Terry's stepmother, Joan Curry.
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Murder and Mayhem Links 13 October

Attorney: Ron Cummings Doubts Wife's Story
What took him so long to see all of the holes in Misty's story? And if the mother took Haleigh, wouldn't she have taken the little brother too. Misty just needs to come clean with the fact that she went out that night and someone took the little girl while she was out partying.

Judge: Abortion Laws Protect Girl Who Sought Pregnancy-Ending Beating
This judge is an idiot. The 17year-old was 7 month pregnant. That isn't an abortion, the odds were in favor of that baby being born alive. The $150 beating would be an illegal abortion at best if it happened during the first trimester. And the reason she did this, because her boyfriend threatened to leave her if she didn't have an abortion. If they wanted an abortion they should have had one during the first trimester. And yes, the baby was born full term and is in foster care. But the girl is seeking custody of the baby, and if unsuccessful the grandmother will try to gain custody.

DNA Leads To Suspect After 19 Years, FBI Says
Dennis Earl Bradford was arrested after 19 years for the rape and attempted murder of then 8-year-old, Jennifer Schuett. He kidnapped her from her bedroom, raped her, slashed her throat, and left her for dead. Thank God it getting harder and harder for these monsters to hide from justice.

Adorable Photos Of Celebrities Taking Their Kids To The Pumpkin Patch
Is there only one pumpkin patch in Hollywood? You know the celebs are only there with their kids because the paparazzi are there. That's Dannilynn Birkhead with Larry.

Murder and Mayhem Links 12 October

Lawyer Drops Misty Cummings As Client
First her husband dumps her, and now her lawyer has parted ways with Misty Cummings. Attorney, Robert Fields dropped Misty as a client after she didn't follow his advice and appeared on the CBS Early Show. Seems like all the rats are jumping off the sinking ship.
Cops: Husband Shot Soccer Mom As She Chatted On Webcam
You may remember Meleanie Hain as the soccer mom who made headlines last year for carrying a holstered handgun to her five year old daughter's soccer games on September 11th, but the gun did her very little good on Friday night. Her husband Scott murdered her by shooting her while she chatted with a friend online.
Dad Arrested For Shooting 4-Year-Old Son
Anthony Dunn, idiot, accidently shot his 4-year-old son in the thigh. He was only charged with child neglect and reckless handling of a gun. What do you want bet that the gun was unregistered.
Bride-to-Be Ivanka Trump: Work Before Babies
Ivanka Trump will not be rushing to have babies after she marries Jared Kushner on 25 October. Her focus will be on her career. She isn't ready for the "compromise" that parenting takes.

Victoria Beckham Joins The Other Mothers At School Fair...Wearing £11.5k Outfit
Victoria Beckham wore an £11,500 ($18,190 give or take a few cents), and still manages to look like a fashion disaster.

Misty Cummings Speaks Out

The stepmother of a missing Florida girl has said in a nationally televised interview that she believes other relatives may be responsible for the disappearance of Haleigh Cummings.
Misty Cummings made her comments Friday on CBS' "The Early Show.
Cummings told the interviewer: "I feel like it's on the other side of the family that has her."
She did not name any relatives.
Haleigh was 5 in February when she disappeared from her father's Satsuma trailer home. Misty had been baby-sitting the two children of her boyfriend, Ronald Cummings, when Haleigh was reported missing. The couple married in April but now are planning to divorce.
A call to the Putnam County Sheriff's Office was not immediately returned.

Now that Ronald has left her she is trying to divert attention away from herself. I bet you she left those children alone in the house to go party, and someone stole Haleigh. Seventeen year old girls aren't always the most responsible people. She should have been going to school and hanging out with her friends instead of playing mommy to Ron's kids.
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It's About Time

The father of Haleigh Cummings, a Florida girl who disappeared in February, plans to file for divorce from the girl's stepmother, a key witness in the case, his attorneys told HLN's "Nancy Grace.

The move follows weeks of reported tension between Ronald and Misty Cummings during the search for Haleigh, who was 5 when last seen.

In papers expected to be filed Tuesday, Ronald Cummings, 25, cites irreconcilable differences in ending his short marriage to his 17-year-old wife, said Terry Shoemaker, Ronald Cummings' attorney.

Haleigh went missing from her father's home in Satsuma, Florida, on February 9. Cummings has made several public pleas for information in her disappearance.

Misty Cummings, then known as Misty Croslin, was the last person known to have seen Haleigh the night she disappeared from the family's rented mobile home. The teenager said she tucked Haleigh and her 4-year-old brother into bed about 8 p.m. and went to sleep herself two hours later, but awoke at 3 a.m. to find the girl missing and a cinder block propping open a back door.

Ronald Cummings called police and reported his daughter missing when he returned from work at dawn.

Investigators have said they do not feel Misty Cummings has told them everything she knows.
"The police have been telling me that I've been keeping Misty under my wing and that's why she hasn't talked to the cops," Ronald Cummings told a "Nancy Grace" producer Tuesday. "So now, here you go, I divorced her. So now go find my baby."

The Putnam County Sheriff's office said in August that "the evidence and investigatory effort has minimized the likelihood that Haleigh's disappearance is the work of a stranger." Ronald Cummings and Crystal Sheffield, Haleigh's mother, are not considered suspects, police said.

"Investigators believe that Misty Croslin-Cummings continues to hold important answers in the case," the sheriff's office said in a written statement. "She has failed to provide any sort of detailed accounting of the hours during the late evening and early morning of Haleigh's disappearance. Furthermore, physical evidence at the scene contradicts Misty's sketchy account of her evening activities." Shoemaker said his client told Misty Cummings he wanted a divorce on Sunday, and that the a divorce agreement was drawn up Monday. The agreement was sent to Misty Cummings' lawyer for her signature.

"He really didn't come to us and say, 'I want to file for divorce,'" said another of Ronald Cummings' attorneys, Brandon Beardsley. "My understanding is that this is something that he and Misty have been discussing for the last few days and they're contemplating it because they ultimately feel that it is in the best interest for both of them."

Misty Cummings' attorney, Robert Fields, told CNN he has not talked with his client and doesn't know her thoughts regarding the divorce. Fields said he had received the papers via e-mail but had not had a chance to review them. Asked what he thought the divorce would mean for the search for Haleigh, he said, "Probably nothing."

"You have to understand that ever since Haleigh went missing, they have been scrutinized," Beardsley said of the Cummingses. "They can't go out to dinner, can't even go to the convenience store to get a drink. ... The pressure of everything that is going on, the allegations and speculation, has been a stress on the relationship.

The two lived together for about six months before marrying in March. The divorce agreement provides no financial terms, according to Shoemaker.

On Monday, Misty Cummings left Satsuma to stay with a friend in Orlando, 50 miles south, Shoemaker said.

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Baby Dragged From Crib By Family's Dog

A Kentucky couple, excited about bringing home a new baby boy, are still reeling from their premature newborn's life-threatening injuries suffered after the family's beloved dog dragged him from his crib.

AJ had been home for less than 24 hours Monday when his parents, Michael and Chrissie Smith, went to check on him and found his crib empty.

Frantically, they searched the house and surrounding woods, calling 911 when they couldn't find him. Ten minutes later, Michael Smith found the family's dog, Dakota, with AJ in her mouth.

"We were downstairs for two minutes," Smith told "Good Morning America" today. "And my wife had an instinct. She just went upstairs."

Baby AJ is now at the hospital in critical condition. Born three weeks early, he suffered a cracked skull, broken ribs and two punctured lungs when Dakota took him from his crib.

"The priority is rest and just keep getting the meds in him," Smith said, adding that his son is as stable as he has been since the incident.

When the family first got to the hospital, it was a much different atmosphere.

"They took us to a consulting room with a pastor and gave us one more chance to see him," Smith said. "That was hard. I had a really, really, really, really, really bad feeling coming up to the hospital."

Smith said AJ's heart stopped at the hospital and emergency room attendants had to use tiny paddles to resuscitate him.

"When the doctor comes in and the doctor's pretty much crying, you know, you think the worst," Smith said. "But then, you just fight through it. He's a fighter. He's fought the whole way."

The family has had Dakota, a mixed breed Native American Indian dog, for four years. Smith said he completely trusted her and she was part of the Nicholasville family.

Smith said his family believes Dakota thought AJ was a doll and wanted to play with it. But experts say fear is one of the biggest reasons a pet may turn on a new baby.

"A baby could be something that a dog fears," Dr. Kat Miller of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said. "It feels trapped, it feels cornered, it could possibly try to drive the baby with aggression."

It's a kind of aggression that has been seen in headlines before -- an 8-month-old boy was killed in his New York apartment by the family Doberman. And, in San Francisco, a 9-month-old was bitten in the face and neck by the family's boxer.

Although Dakota is no longer with the family, Smith isn't calling what happened to his son an "attack."

"That wasn't the case," he said. "It was more of a snatch and grab. It was like, 'Here's my toy.'"

"I don't feel angry at the dog," he said, "But there's no way that dog could ever come back in my house."

He called Dakota "mild-mannered." The family's other dogs, including a black Labrador retriever, will remain in the house.

Dakota is at a shelter and no decision has been made about whether to euthanize the dog, according to a local newspaper.

Experts said these kinds of incidents can be prevented by keeping a close eye on both the dog and the baby and helping the dog accept the arrival of a new baby by familiarizing the dog with the sounds and smells of an infant.

"Dogs and cats, no matter how friendly and social they are, still have big teeth," Miller said. "Keep your baby safe by separating completely your dog and your baby when you are not immediately there to supervise."

You have to be extremely careful with children and pets. Remember the pet snake who killed the little girl a few weeks ago. Either the baby or the dog should have been behind a closed door.

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Murder and Mayhem Links 16 July

28 Year Old Babysitter Has Sex With 14 Year Old Boy, Asks Mom's Permission
Idaho babysitter, Summer Nelson was charged with having sex with a 14 year old boy that she was hired to sex with. She told the boy's younger siblings that she was in love with in.
Eighth Person Arrested In Florida Couple's Shooting Death
Florida police arrested Pamela Long Wiggins and charged with accessory after the fact of felony murder in the murder of Byrd and Melanie Billings. They are also searching for someone from the alarm company that was supposed to protect the Billings' home. The DEA has also become involved in the case.

Exchange Students Live American Nightmare
You always have to wonder how well the host families are investigated before exchange students are placed with them. I guess in some cases, not very well. Five exchange students were sent to Scranton, Pennsylvania where they were malnourished and neglected. One student was even placed in the home with a convicted drug felon and other ex-cons. The Aspect Foundation did nothing to help the children when complaints were made, Children and Youth Services finally removed the high school students.

Family Asks County For Damages After 8-Year Daughter Is Arrested
Evelyn Towry (who has Asperger syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder) was arrested after she acted out because she was unable to wear her special jacket in class. Her family is asking the county to pay half a million dollars in damages because the girl was handcuffed and taken to juvenile hall. The Bonner County Prosecutor's Office originally charged Evelyn with battery, but later dropped the charges.

Caylee Anthony Update 15 July

It has been a year since Cindy Anthony made the 911 call reporting her granddaughter, Caylee missing. Since then Casey has been charged with murder, and then the toddler's body was found near the family's home.
(CNN) -- One year ago, a sheriff's dispatcher in Orange County, near Orlando, Florida, received a strange 911 call. A small child was missing -- and had been for a month.

The child's grandmother was frantic, talking a mile a minute. But her mother seemed unemotional, disconnected from the drama around her.

So began the Caylee Anthony case, a mystery that became a nightly fixture on cable television and captivated true-crime buffs across the country.

Today, the tot's 23-year-old mother, Casey Anthony, is in jail, charged with first-degree murder, and faces the death penalty if convicted. She denies harming her daughter or having anything to do with her disappearance.

Her attorney, Jose Baez, has said that once all the facts are known, it will become clear that his client is innocent.

While reports of missing children are not unusual -- a Haleigh and a Haylee are two recent examples -- several elements came together in the Caylee case to make it a high-profile news story, said Robert Thompson, who heads the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University.

"The fact that it's a toddler had that really dramatic, 'this is our worst nightmare' thing. It doesn't get any more dramatic than that," he said. "Then, of course, there's Casey herself."

The 30-day delay in reporting Caylee's disappearance, along with the frequent release of police documents containing the personal details of the family's life, whetted the public's appetite.

"By that time, it becomes self-fulfilling," Thompson said. "Once the story gets into the inbox of places that cover this thing -- Dateline, America's Most Wanted, Greta van Susteren, Nancy Grace, Geraldo -- it becomes a packaged drama. We want to know how it turns out."

Caylee's body was found December 11, six months after she disappeared and just a few blocks from her grandparents' house. The remains were bagged and partially buried in a swampy, vacant lot.

Duct tape covered the child's mouth. But the cause of Caylee's death is just one of many questions that remain unanswered a year later. And the answers are not likely to come soon, if at all. Casey Anthony's trial, originally scheduled to begin October 12, has been pushed back until some time next year.

Thousands of pages of court files have been made public. Police questioned Anthony's friends and boyfriends, pored through her cell phone records, went through her computer, and seized her digital photo albums. They even analyzed her sleep patterns. But the picture that emerges is far from clear.

The story begins at about 9:40 p.m. on the evening of July 15, 2008, with Cindy Anthony's call to 911. The call capped a day in which she and her husband, George, a retired police officer from Ohio, received an impound notice and tracked down their daughter's abandoned white 1998 Pontiac Sunbird -- and then their daughter, Caylee's mother, who was staying with a boyfriend.

"I found out my granddaughter has been taken," Cindy Anthony told the 911 dispatcher. "She has been missing for a month. Her mother finally admitted that she's been missing. ... We're talking about a 3-year-old little girl!"

"I need to find her," Cindy Anthony continued. "I told you my daughter was missing for a month. I just found her today, but I can't find my granddaughter. She just admitted to me that she's been trying to find her herself. There's something wrong. I found my daughter's car today, and it smells like there's been a dead body in the damn car."

George Anthony told police later that the car gave him "a bad vibe."

"I got within three feet of it. I could smell something. You look up and you say, please don't let this be. Please don't let this be," he said in a July 24 police interview.

A cadaver dog confirmed for police the scent of human decomposition in the car trunk. Casey Anthony's friends told police she said she hit an animal with the car. But many of her stories did not check out, investigators said.

Although Casey Anthony has frequently fallen out with her parents, they have always insisted that she is innocent. They haven't visited her in jail for months, in part because authorities record the visits and release them to the public.

During the search for Caylee, some say Casey Anthony didn't behave the way one would expect of a worried mother. She went to nightclubs and sent hundreds of text messages to friends, according to cell phone and text transcripts and investigative reports released by police.

Those phone and text records also showed that she hardly mentioned her missing daughter.

At one point, police analyzed her sleep patterns, finding that the cell phone calls and text messaging ceased for only three or four hours a night at about the time Caylee disappeared.

For weeks, curiosity seekers camped out in lawn chairs outside the Anthony home, where the family had posted large flyers asking, "Where is Caylee?" When the crowd grew unruly, Cindy Anthony waved a hammer and George Anthony shouted back at the hecklers.

Authorities say they also found traces of chloroform, a knock-out drug, in the trunk of Casey Anthony's car. And they said that on her computer, they found Internet searches of missing children and chloroform Web sites.

Investigators first labeled Casey Anthony a person of interest, and later, a suspect. She was indicted on a charge of first-degree murder on October 14.

But Thompson, the pop culture professor at Syracuse, cautions that the final curtain hasn't fallen on this drama.

"It isn't necessarily a slam dunk," he said. "We have the JonBenet Ramsey case to show that we may think one thing, and it isn't so." Early in that investigation, authorities said John and Patsy Ramsey were "under an umbrella of suspicion" in their daughter's death, but they later were cleared.

"These things are capable of twisting around," Thompson said. "But that's another element that makes them interesting."
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Have They Found Natalee Holloway

Natalee Holloway's father flew a search dog and handler to Aruba to search for the missing teen's body on Friday, although prosecutors said they have no new leads in the case.

Ann Angela, a spokeswoman for the Aruba Prosecutors' Office, said the dog is searching a small reservoir in northwestern Aruba that witnesses have previously identified as a location where Holloway's remains might be found.

Holloway, from Mountain Brook, Ala., disappeared in May 2005 in the Aruban capital Oranjestad. She was 18 at the time.

Angela said neither police nor prosecutors have any new information in the case, but they gave Dave Holloway permission to search.

Dave Holloway did not immediately return a message seeking comment. His attorney, Vinda de Sousa, told The Associated Press he insisted on another search of the reservoir after a witness who identified it as a possible location passed a lie detector test in the U.S.

De Sousa said she does not know how long the dog and its handler will remain on the island, nor how much Holloway is paying for the search. She added that the search had been planned for some time.

Holloway's mother, Beth Holloway Twitty, said she was not aware of the development and declined further comment.

Natalee Holloway was last seen leaving a bar with Dutch man Joran van der Sloot on the final night of a high school graduation trip.

No trace of her has ever been found despite extensive searches involving hundreds of volunteers, Aruban soldiers, FBI agents and even Dutch F-16 jets.

Dutch prosecutors have said authorities still lack proof they need to convict Van der Sloot, who has been arrested twice and released for lack of evidence.
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Coleman Family Murder Update 10 July

The coroner's inquest in the Coleman murders is today. A pathologist will testify that Sheri, Garett, and Gavin Coleman were dead before Chris Coleman even left the house. The inquest jury will determine if the cause of death was natural, homicide (Duh, isn't that obvious.), accident, suicide, or undetermined. The outcome of the coroner's inquest has no bearing on Chris Coleman's murder charges, and is just seems to be a waste of money.

Murder and Mayhem Links 8 July

Casey Anthony Case: October Trial Date Canceled
Casey Anthony's trial for murdering her daughter, Caylee has been postponed until 2010. No new date has been scheduled, but there is a hearing on 21 January.

Rulings On Coleman's Records At Joyce Meyer's Is Postponed
A judge needs another two weeks to decide if the Joyce Meyer Ministry must turn over Chris Coleman's employment records as part of Sheri Coleman's family's civil suit. Chris had told his mistress that he was going to divorce his wife and marry her, despite rumors that the ministry doesn't employ the divorce. But it is a rather hypocritical policy when you consider that Joyce is divorced.

Haylee Headed To Foster Care Upon Her Return
Haylee Donathan will go into foster care when she returns home from California. A court has decided that it wouldn't be in her best interest to return her to her grandmother, Mary Watson. Basically the court decided that since Mary has raised two crazies it is best not to allow her to mess up a third child.

Haylee's mother took her on a month long, cross country trip with a convicted child molester. And the uncle is a convicted rapist. Foster care may be her best chance at a normal life.

Snake Kills Baby

Update: The cage was secured with a blanket and some rope. He will probably be charged with child endangerment because that is an accident just waiting to happen. But this isn't Darnell's first lost of a child, his own daughter died five years ago of spinal meningitis. It is a tragic story.

Usually you just have to worry about your boyfriend shaking your baby to death, now you have to worry about the pets they keep. Shaiunna Hare,2 was in her bed sleeping when the 8 1/2ft long pet python of her mother's (Jaren Hare,19) boyfriend, escaped it's cage, wrapped itself around the girl, and squeezed until the little girl was dead. Charles Darnell,32 woke up the next morning to find the snake missing and started searching for it.

Lt. Bobby Caruthers of Sumter County Sheriff's Department made the following statement:

"Wednesday morning he wakes up and discovers the snake missing from its container," said Caruthers. "He went straight to the infant's room and he described it as seeing the snake on the baby. He also described a bite mark on her forehead. He started stabbing the snake and removed the child from the room."

Despite this tragedy, the fact that an exotic snake killed a baby, means a criminal investigation is underway for owning and keeping such a dangerous pet in the home with the baby girl. "We're going to be interviewing (Darnell) and the mother further at the Sheriff's Office," Caruthers says. "They were very upset at the scene and that's all we got out of them."

In my opinion he either knew it was dangerous to keep a snake that size in the house with a baby, or there is something fishy with the story. Why else would he immediately start searching for the snake in the baby's room.

Florida Fish & Game is also investigating because Darnell didn't have a permit for the snake. Pythons are classified Reptiles of Concern because they escape or are released into the wild where they displace local wildlife.