ORLANDO, Fla. — The mother of a missing 3-year-old girl was arrested Tuesday and charged with killing her daughter, even though the child’s body has not been found during a four-month search.
A grand jury indicted Casey Anthony on charges of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter and four counts of lying to investigators about the disappearance of her daughter, Caylee, State Attorney Lawson Lamar said.
If convicted of first-degree murder, she could face the death penalty or life in prison.
A few hours before the sealed indictment was issued Tuesday, the 22-year-old Anthony stood silently, sometimes crying, as her attorney told reporters she is innocent.
“Casey is going through a nightmare,” Jose Baez said. “I sincerely believe that when we have finally spoken, everyone, and I mean everyone, will sit back and say, ‘Now I understand. That explains it.’ ”
Casey Anthony’s father, George, testified Tuesday behind closed doors to the 19-member grand jury along with a detective, a cadaver dog handler and an FBI agent.
The child’s grandmother first called authorities in July to say that she hadn’t seen Caylee for a month and that her daughter’s car smelled like death.
Casey Anthony told authorities that she had left her daughter with a babysitter in June, and that the two were gone when she returned from work. She says she spent the next month trying to find her daughter and didn’t call authorities because she was scared.
Investigators immediately started poking holes in her story. The apartment where Casey Anthony said she had left her daughter had been vacant for months, they said. They said she also lied about working at an area theme park as a photographer.
Investigators also accused her of stealing checks from a friend and cashing them.
