The Casey Anthony Investigation

No, the car did not smell like pizza or trash or anything but human decomposition.

My involvement in the case started with a phone call- a Detective asking to tow a vehicle to the Forensic Unit, I asked the details of the case since we had limited space at the Sheriff’s Office only certain types of cases would be towed there. Little did we know that car would live in our garage for months on end.

The whole Forensic Unit responded to search the backyard of the residence and we quickly figured out that no shovels would penetrate the substrate- thick with rooty bamboo. I left shortly after to answer a call for a bank robbery. The media was starting to pick up on the details of the case- helicopters hovered overhead and stringer photographers perched on nearby roofs to get shots.

From here I was involved in a series of searches at the residence as we tried to find fingerprint or DNA evidence of anyone other than the family- the mysterious “Zanny”. I collected anything that was pointed out as being taken to the nanny’s house to process for prints. None were found beyond tiny little fingers or those of family. The searches became more and more public, with media camping out and helicopters often following the crime scene vehicles home after we finished for the day.

Hundreds of calls came in for found bones and possible sightings. All ruled out.

Then came the call in December. It was cold and rainy. They found a small skull with duct tape around the head still clinging to hairs on either side. I was both relieved and heartbroken. We knew it was her. I had no hope that she was alive- and there was some relief in bringing her home.

From this moment on, an incredibly skilled team of very motivated CSI began the process of slowly and meticulously removing the growth, leaf litter, plants, and soil from the woody area that had become her grave. Eleven days we worked on hands and knees with nothing more than a garden trowel and a pair of hand trimmers to remove roots. A grid was established and each CSI had a lane. As evidence was recovered, it was photographed in place and removed to the mobile command post for logging. Additional debris was placed in buckets that were labeled as to the grid coordinates and transported to sifting stations to be sifted not once but twice-with differing sizes of mesh to capture all sizes of evidence. The process repeated if any additional evidence was located. We had a pregnant CSI working 10-12 hour days on the recovery site. I was going back and forth from the Drs. office to get steroids and sulfa drugs to treat the poison ivy that I had in my ears, under my eyes, arms, and anywhere you would touch while conducting business in the on scene port-a-potty. We didn’t leave the scene- food was brought to us and we stopped to eat and returned to work, for eleven days we repeated the process for 10-12 hours each day.

I testified in the trial 3 times. A nerve-wracking experience to say the least. Rapid-fire camera clicks with every move I made- I swear you could see my heart beating in my chest if you watched the video of the trial. I recorded it but never have been able to watch.

I was speechless upon hearing the verdict- I felt like we let her down. But I know in my heart that every single member of the team did what we could for her. To bring her home- to bring justice, to hold people accountable for their actions.

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