According to George Anthony, the last time he saw his granddaughter Caylee was June 16, 2008. If we believe this, then the anniversary of the date that Caylee was last seen alive by someone other than her mother, Casey Anthony, is coming up this week. Casey is in jail awaiting trial for first degree murder.The public didn't become aware of Caylee's "disappearance" until one month later. On July 16, 2008, news broke that Cindy Anthony had made 911 calls the previous day informing the authorities that her granddaughter had been missing for 31 days, ostensibly "kidnapped" by Zanny the Nanny. Casey Anthony led detectives on a wild goose chase that ended up in a conference room at Universal Studios where she admitted that she had told a pack of lies with the exception that the nanny had kidnapped her child. She was arrested for child neglect forthwith. In a phone call home that night, Casey insisted she was arrested on a whim and complained to a friend that nobody was thinking of her. They were only worried about Caylee.
Since then, this case has been a roller coaster of events. Many tips were called in to police and followed up to no avail. Texas Equusearch searched and nearly went broke. George and Cindy went on television to "keep Caylee's face out there" and ended up spending more air time defending their jailed daughter. Detectives and FBI agents questioned many people. Jose Baez filed motion after motion only to have the vast majority of them denied by Judge Strickland. He also began to assemble a veritable "dream team" while onlookers wondered where the money to defend Casey was coming from. The death penalty was withdrawn. A trial was scheduled for January, 2009.
The mystery of Caylee's disappearance finally ended on December 11, 2008 when her skeletal remains were found down the street and around the corner from the Anthony home.
On February 10, there were two memorials for Caylee. One simple one was held by those unwelcome at the "official" public memorial at the site where Caylee's remains had been found. The other, hosted by the Anthony family took place in a large venue and was fairly well attended. I watched it and felt bad that it was more for Casey than Caylee. While George and Cindy Anthony did pay homage to their granddaughter, they spent considerable time asking those in attendance and those viewing to have compassion for Casey. George even suggested we write her letters. Uncle Lee never mentioned the tot's name once, substituting the homogeneous CMA and left listeners wondering about what had been said and to whom his comments were directed.
Now, the dream team assembled by Baez has grown to include Todd Macaluso of California and the Angel of Death Row, Andrea Lyon. There had been more motions filed and the Anthonys have popped up in the media again with little talk of Caylee and much talk about the innocence of her mother.
There is so little mention of Caylee anymore. There is no one at the motions hearings sitting behind the prosecution in support of the toddler whose death came before she had had the chance to relish her life. Her memorial has been dismantled by some unknown entity. Any respectable cross at the site has been removed or destroyed. We do know who has done that.
Now, it is up to us, strangers who never met Caylee, to stand behind her at the trial. It is up to us, who hoped and prayed she would be found alive, to keep at least her memory alive. There will be a memorial service for Caylee at Blanchard Park; it will not be hosted by the family of the slain toddler. It will be those who came to love her during the past year.
I have been following the latest motions to be filed. I have read all of the discovery. Somehow, my heart hasn't been into writing about them lately. I suppose it's because I keep thinking of Caylee. She's the one who was wronged. She is the one who needs justice.
It's time to focus on Caylee. There will by plenty of time to focus on the trial once the anniversary of her loss has passed.
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