Casey Anthony Trail
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Evidence
The Anthony case broke new ground regarding scientific evidence.
University of Tennessee's "Body farm" discovered "hair banding," a phenomenon in which hair roots can form a dark band after death. A hair found in the trunk of the Anthony car exhibited this pattern.[51] Also new is the work of University of Tennessee's Oak Ridge National Laboratory in which air extracted from the trunk of the Anthony car revealed human decomposition and the presence of chloroform.[51]
On Friday, October 24, 2008, a forensic report by Dr. Arpad Vass of the Oak Ridge Laboratory in Tennessee stated that results from an air sampling procedure (called LIBS) performed in the trunk of Casey Anthony's car showed chemical compounds "consistent with a decompositional event" based on the presence of five key chemical compounds out of over 400 possible chemical compounds that Dr. Vass's research group considers typical of decomposition (human decomposition was not specified). Whether or not the decomposition was human is still unknown, but was indicated as a possibility. The process has not been affirmed by a Daubert Test in the courts.[53] Dr. Vass's group also stated there was the presence of chloroform in the car trunk. In evidence hearings in March and April 2011, Dr. Ken Furton, a biochemist and nuclear chemist, pointed out with examples from various studies that there is no consensus in the field on what chemicals are typical of human decomposition.[citation needed]
DNA samples could not confirm whether the source was alive or dead. The only DNA testing by the FBI was limited to 752 base pairs out of 16,569 base pairs (less than 5% of the mitochondrial genome sequence). Traces of chloroform were also found in Casey Anthony's car trunk, and evidence was found that someone had searched the Internet on her computer for the use of the chemical and how to make it.[54] On November 26, 2008, officials released 700 pages of documents related to the Anthony investigation, which included evidence of Google searches of the terms "neck breaking," "how to make chloroform," and "death" on Casey Anthony's home computer.[55]
Investigators also entered into the body of evidence a photo from the computer of Ricardo Morales, an ex-boyfriend of Casey Anthony, which depicts a joke in which a man is using a chloroform-soaked rag to drug a woman. Casey and Caylee Anthony had stayed with Morales on several occasions until June 9, 2008.[citation needed]
On February 18, 2009, documents released by the State Attorney's Office in Florida indicated that the same type of laundry bag, duct tape, and plastic bags discovered at the crime scene were found in the house where Casey and Caylee resided. Heart-shaped stickers were also recovered by investigators. According to an FBI laboratory email, a heart-shaped outline was originally seen on the duct tape that was recovered from the mouth area of Caylee's skull, but the laboratory was not able to capture the heart shape photographically and could no longer see it after the duct tape was dusted for fingerprint processing. The documents also indicate that Cindy Anthony stated to them that a Winnie the Pooh blanket was missing from Caylee's bed. This type of blanket was found at the crime scene. An entry from Casey Anthony's diary was also released.[56]
The following diary entry by Casey Anthony is dated "June 21" and reads:
I have no regrets, just a bit worried. I just want for everything to work out OK. I completely trust my own judgment and know that I made the right decision. I just hope that the end justifies the means. I just want to know what the future will hold for me. I guess I will soon see – This is the happiest that I have been in a very long time. I hope that my happiness will continue to grow– I've made new friends that I really like. I've surrounded myself with good people – I am finally happy. Let's just hope that it doesn't change.[57]
Transfer writing (imprints of writing) from other pages of the diary revealed the mention of a person named Kenneth, whom Casey had dated in 2003. A member of Casey Anthony's defense team, spokeswoman Marti MacKenzie, contends that this entry was written in 2003 prior to Caylee's birth. The defense contends that the opposite page has "'03" written in one of the corners as the date, and the handwriting on the two pages matches. However, there was no authentication that the "'03" signified a date, or when it was entered in the diary or by whom. The prosecution acknowledged that it did not know when the entry was made.[58] In January 2010, however, an FBI report released in the media stated that the diary in question was not on the market until 2004.[citation needed]