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Why The Caylee Anthony Investigation Was So Challenging, According To A Former FBI Profiler
"There were lies and deceits right away in this investigation,” said Jim Clemente.
On December 11, 2008, the skeletal remains of 2-year-old Caylee Anthony were found in the woods near her family home in Orlando, Florida, six months after she went missing. Her mother, 22-year-old Casey Anthony, had already been arrested in connection with her death, and a grand jury had indicted her on capital murder and several other charges.
Casey was acquitted of her daughter’s murder, but questions about Caylee’s death have lingered. Oxygen will dive back into the chilling investigation on Saturday, May 19 at 8/7c with the premiere of its series, “The Case of: Caylee Anthony.” Next to a team of forensic experts and investigators, retired FBI supervisory special agent Jim Clemente and former New Scotland Yard criminal behavioral analyst Laura Richards will reexamine the evidence and track down witnesses in an attempt to shed light on what may have happened the day Caylee Anthony went missing.
In an interview with Oxygen.com ahead of “The Case of: Caylee Anthony” premiere, Clemente explained why the original investigation into Caylee’s death was so challenging for detectives. According to Clemente, there are two essential things investigators still don’t know about the case: whether Caylee died accidentally or was intentionally murdered, and who, if anyone, is responsible for her death.
“And it’s extremely frustrating,” Clemente told producers. “Part of that is due to the fact that there were lies and deceits right away in this investigation.”
Casey had waited 31 days before telling anyone about her daughter’s disappearance, and throughout the trial, she was accused of stalling and hindering the investigation by prosecutors and police. Later, Casey was found guilty of providing false information to law enforcement. Clemente explained that these delays may be a reason that Caylee’s body wasn’t discovered until five months after she was reported missing.
“And that meant that the elements had access to her body, and she was decomposing that entire time, and so was any forensic evidence that might have been associated with her body,” Clemente told Oxygen.com.
To hear more from Clemente, watch “The Case of: Caylee Anthony,” airing Saturday, May 19, Sunday, May 20 and Monday, May 21 at 8/7c.
[Photo: Getty Images]
