Merry Christmas!

Here's wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas... and a Happy New Year in 2009!

Update on Caylee Anthony Case

Photo by SkyFOX

It's been almost 24 hours since the skeletal remains of a young child were found in Orlando, Florida. Investigators from both local and federal agencies continue to comb the site where the child's remains were discovered just off Suburban Drive, near missing Caylee Anthony's grandparents' home. Orange County Sheriff's deputies have secured the area so that any evidence which may be collected will not be compromised.

"Now the investigation continues," Orange County Sheriff Kevin Beary said during a news conference. "There is a lot of lab work to do. There is a lot of DNA work to do. There is a lot of crime scene work to do."

More evidence was removed from the Anthony's home early this morning, including several bags and boxes which included clothing and other unnamed items.

I'm praying for the investigators, forensics personnel and the family of Caylee Anthony. At this time of year, we should be celebrating birth, hope and renewal. Instead, many people will be working with death, destruction and loss. May God encourage and strengthen all of them... and may the persons responsible for the child's death be brought to swift justice.

Warrant Sought to Search Missing Florida Girl's Home

Authorities say they are seeking a search warrant for the Orlando home of a missing 3-year-old girl after a small child's remains were found nearby. Orange County sheriff's spokesman Carlos Padilla said that investigators cordoned off the home belonging to George and Cindy Anthony, the grandparents of Caylee Anthony, who often stayed at the home with her mother, Casey. [My thoughts are that LE will be looking for evidential matches to the duct tape, trash bag and/or clothing found with the child's body.]

Caylee's mother, 22-year-old Casey Anthony, insists that she left the girl with a baby sitter in June, but she didn't report her missing until July. The mother has been charged with first-degree murder.

Earlier this month, the Orange County State Attorney turned over almost 800 pages of documents, which showed someone at the Anthony home had done Internet searches for terms like "neck breaking" and "household weapons."

In mid-March, someone used the Anthonys' home laptop to search Google and Wikipedia for peroxide, shovels, acetone, alcohol and chloroform. Traces of chloroform, which is used to induce unconsciousness and also a component of human decomposition, were found in the trunk of Casey Anthony's car during forensic testing, the documents say.

Caylee's Disappearance: A Timeline from the Tampa Tribune

UPDATE: 4:10pm EDT
WKMG-TV reports that the Orange County Medical Examiner's van just left the scene, carrying the remains.

WFTV9: Remains Of Young Child Found Near Anthony Home

From WFTV9 in Orlando: The remains of a young child were located in east Orange County Thursday morning, less than a half-mile from Casey Anthony's parents' home, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Office. An Orange County water meter reader, who had gone into the woods to relieve himself, discovered a bag about 20 to 30 feet off the sidewalk in the area of Chickasaw Trail and Suburban Drive, around three-tenths of a mile from the Anthonys' home. [The location is not accurate. See below.]

According to information obtained by Eyewitness News, when the meter reader picked up the bag a skull fell out. The Orange County Sheriff's Office has confirmed to Eyewitness News that the remains are from a young child. "We are assuming they are the remains of a victim," said Orange County Sheriff's Office spokesman Jim Solomons. It is not known whether the remains are Caylee Anthony. "We know we have a recent discovery. We have investigators on the scene. We need to determine what we have," said Solomons.

Deputies set up a perimeter near a small retention pond. Heavy rain pounded the scene, making the investigation more difficult. FBI agents and agents from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement were also on the scene. Orange County Sheriff Kevin Beary said the area had been underwater during previous searches, so it was not surprising the remains hadn't been found before. Equusearch founder Tim Miller, who heads up a group that searches for bodies, said his volunteers had searched the area before but that it was full of water and an ATV had stirred up mud and muck and made visibility poor. When asked if the remains could be those of any other child, Beary responded, "Not that we know of."

Eyewitness News reporter Kathi Belich said sources told her they were taking this very seriously and would expedite DNA tests to determine if the remains were indeed Caylee's. Investigators told her they were "very optimistic" they had found the missing girl. Beary said the FBI had told him experts at its lab in Quantico, Va. would work through the weekend on the case if necessary.

Site of Child's Skeletal Remains Confirmed

A few minutes ago, I reported that FOX35 (and WFTV9) had incorrectly reported the site of skeletal remains found by a utility worker this morning. I have now confirmed that my pinpointing of the site was correct. Here is a overhead shot of the site, from WFTV.com's news helicopter. If you look at the map below, you can clearly see the area I marked as the site is indeed correct.

As I type, Orange County Sheriff's Department officers are preparing to remove the duct taped trash bag, bones and any other evidence from the scene. I also overheard a reporter saying that Sheriff Beary is going to execute a search warrant on the Anthony home and property. Some reports say officers are possibly looking for a shovel.

Presently, the Anthony's are on a flight back from California. They should arrive in Orlando within the next hour or so.

The discovered remains will be sent to FBI headquarters for identification. Due to their proximity to the Anthony home, it is likely that the bones found are that of Caylee Marie Anthony.

Breaking News: Remains of a Small Child Found Near Anthony Home

News agencies are reporting that the skeletal remains of a small child have been found within two blocks of Caylee Anthony's grandparents' home. It appears that a utility worker making repairs in the area found a plastic trash bag bound in duct tape. It's not clear whether the bag was ripped or not, but the man discovered skeletal remains inside.

FOX35 in Orlando is reporting live from outside Caylee Anthony's home. The sheriff is about to execute a search warrant on the home. Apparently, the police think there is a connection between the bones found by the utlity worker and the Anthony home. My guess is that law enforcement is trying to match the trash bag and/or the duct tape with the skeletal remains.


Here is a map of the area. FOX35 reported that the remains were found off Suburban Drive near Chickasaw Trail (on the left of the Hopespring Drive intersection). However, the description given (that being the utility worker discovered the child's body approximately sixty feet back in the woods) doesn't match with the terrain. I have marked where I believe the duct taped bag of bones was found.

This story will be updated as soon as more information is available.

Costco says 'No' to Christmas...literally

Received via email from AFA.net:

Dear Friend,
Costco has 520 stores nationwide. But you will not find "Christmas" in a single store. That's because Costco says it will not use the term "Christmas" on its website or in its stores. Instead, Costco is telling customers it purposely chooses to use the generic "holiday" verbiage. You know, they stock holiday gifts, not Christmas gifts.
Last week, a customer wrote to Costco and asked this direct question – "Does Costco use the word 'Christmas' in your store advertising or on any signs anywhere in your stores during the Christmas season? That's a pretty simple question, yes or no." Kory Rosacrans, staff manager for Costco replied, "I guess the answer would be No."
Rosacrans said, "Costco does not advertise on television, on radio or in print like other retailers. We only advertise by mailings and e-mail messages sent directly to our members who have paid for the privilege of shopping with us."
Costco wants you to do your "Christmas" shopping with them, while refusing to recognize that Christmas even exists.

Let them know that we are not going to support their decision -- with our mouths or our money.