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World Famous Forensic Scientist Examines Casey's Car

Saturday, November 15, 2008 12:49:51 PM
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Casey Anthony's Sunfire car (11/14)

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ORLANDO -- Casey Anthony's attorney got a look at the white Pontiac Sunfire that investigators say has evidence implicating Casey in her daughter's death, and dive teams continued to search the water at Blanchard Park for any sign of the little girl.

Anthony's car went through six hours of examination by one of the world's leading forensic scientists, who was brought in by the defense.

"It was a good faith effort on the part of the Orange County Sheriff's office and the State Attorney's Office to allow inspection of the vehicle today," said Angelo Nieves, spokesman for the sheriff's office.

Anthony's attorney Jose Baez and Henry Lee, who previously worked on such cases as the O.J. Simpson murder trial, spent the entire day examining the vehicle and evidence taken out of the car at the Orange County Sheriff's Office.

Investigators said they believe the car played a part in Caylee's disappearance. Investigators discovered signs of chloroform, a stain in the trunk and a hair that officials believe belonged to Caylee.

"They inspected the evidence. They went ahead and made some notes, took photographs of evidence that was there, and then went ahead and looked at the vehicle later on in the afternoon. They then continued that inspection of the vehicle, took photos and made notes, as well. During that process, our forensics team were with him the entire time, as were investigators with the Orange County Sheriff's Office.

Lee has also worked on cases involving JonBenet Ramsey and Laci Peterson.


Divers Continue Search In Blanchard Park

California bounty hunter Leonard Padilla talked with News 13 Friday about the polygraph test the FBI has asked him to take, and his determination to keep on going.

The divers have been searching for three days in dangerous waters.

"We had a diver that went in yesterday that had to go to the emergency room last night because something crawled in his ear and caused a really bad infection," said Spyder Dalton, a bounty hunter.

"We wouldn't be diving in these waters unless we thought something was in there," Dalton said.

While Padilla appeared to be as popular as ever with the locals, there have been many critics -- a list that includes the Orange County Sheriff's office, the Anthony's and Tim Miller with Texas Equusearch. All call into question the way Padilla is conducting this search and why. But Padilla vows to press on.

"What keeps me going is just dogged determination. I really, sincerely, believe that body is in this river," Padilla said.

Friday, a total of seven divers searched the waters for any signs of the missing 3-year-old without any major development.

News 13 has learned the FBI  has contacted Padilla to come in for the lie detector test sometime next week.

"I have no problem with it. Now, it would be nice if Cindy, George and Lee and Casey felt the same way and they took a lie detector test," Padilla said.

Padilla said he is here for the long haul, and as long as the resources are available, they'll stay until the river is thoroughly inspected.

The divers plan to take the weekend off per the request of the Orange County Parks and Recreation. At this time, they plan to resume the search on Monday.


Anthonys React To Search

Caylee's grandparents have repeatedly said they believe the missing toddler is still alive.

George and Cindy Anthony were working with the Kid Finders Network command site in Orange County Thursday.

George said he was disappointed in Leonard Padilla's insistence on searching for a body, saying his search is in his own self-interest, not in Caylee’s interest.

"I want people always looking for my granddaughter," George Anthony said. "I don’t want them to stop, but I think if you’re going to do something, do it in an organized way like, Tim Miller did. Look how Tim was very organized. He knew exactly what he was doing, day in and day out. What someone else does, they’re not very well equipped, if they don’t have the knowledge or the resources, they’re not going to be able to do a good job. The main thing: They’re not going to find my granddaughter out in the woods, in a river, in a lake, in a tree, under some kind of concrete, or whatever they feel is out there. They’re not going to find her out there. My granddaughter is alive."

"It didn’t faze us at all today, because our gut feeling is that Caylee -- from Day 1, we felt Caylee is alive, and we have not faltered on that, and we will not continue to speculate on stuff that’s speculation," Cindy Anthony said. "What we’re doing is looking for Caylee, because that’s what we know in our hearts, that she’s out there, and that’s the only concrete evidence that I have, and until they bring concrete evidence any other way, she’s alive, and she’s out there, and we’re not going to stop looking for her."

The family will be back out at the Kid Finders tent for a meet and greet from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday.


Padilla Asked To Take Lie Detector Test

Due to the events at Blanchard Park and the search by Padilla, the Orange County Sheriff's Office apparently thought something in his story needed to be verified, so they asked him to take a lie detector test.

"There was nothing found here that was of significance,” Nieves said. “Mr. Padilla has been requested by the Orange County Sheriff's Office to participate in a polygraph and that will be conducted by the FBI. That information he's agreed to do so and we will continue to do that as part of this investigation."

The sheriff's office also said they continue to follow up on all viable leads and tips in their ongoing investigation.


More On The Search For Caylee

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