ORLANDO, Fla. — Skeletal remains found in the woods are those of the Florida 3-year-old who has been missing since June, but they don’t reveal any clues about how she was killed, a county medical examiner said Friday.
A utility worker stumbled upon the remains last week, less than a half-mile from where the girl lived. DNA tests confirm that the remains match Caylee Anthony’s genetic profile, said the medical examiner, Dr. Jan Garavaglia.
Caylee’s mother, 22-year-old Casey Anthony, was indicted in October on first-degree murder and other charges, even though no body was found.
She has insisted that she left the girl with a babysitter in June, but she didn’t report her missing until July.
It took authorities several days to analyze the remains, and some tests are still being completed. Some of the bones were as small as a pebble and had been scattered, and the fragments were hard to find by excavators who searched on their hands and knees, authorities said. The bone fragments did not reveal any trauma before death, Garavaglia said, but exactly what happened to the girl remains a mystery.
“Bottom line is, folks, no child should have to go through this,” said Orange County Sheriff Kevin Beary.
A search team said they did not check the wooded area sooner because it was submerged in water.
Casey Anthony’s attorney, Jose Baez, was with her at the Orange County Jail shortly after she found out the news from a jail chaplain, said Todd Black, a spokesman for the attorney.
Black said he wouldn’t comment on her reaction.
