On Saturday, Day 16, in the Casey Anthony murder trial, a nationally-renowned forensic entomologist, Dr. Neal Haskell took the stand, testifying that he was able to develop a timeline as to when 2-year-old Caylee’s body was dumped in the woods off Suburban Drive, based on the type of flies that were found.
Haskell told jurors that decomposing bodies progress through various stages and as tissues change from one to another, different fly species are associated with the changes. He testified that he believed Caylee’s body was deposited very quickly into the trunk of the vehicle (Casey’s car), as the first set of flies–blow flies–were excluded, and the second set of flies were present. The body he believed was in the car trunk between 3-5 days.
Haskell testified that there were only a few blow flies found on Caylee’s remains in the woods, but many other species consistent with advanced stages of decomposition. He said that the body was not skeletonised when it was placed in the woods, in view of the absence of blow flies.
“Since there were only a few blow flies, it was not skeleton remains”, Haskell said. “The body in the woods was partially decomposed with soft tissue.”
Haskell said that based on the type of flies found, he was able to determine that Caylee’s body had been out in the woods for many, many months, before it was found in December 2008. He believed that the child’s body was placed in the woods around June or July 2008. He also said that the effect of wrapping the body in plastic bags would also keep early flies, or blow flies out.
Asked by prosecutor Jeff Ashton whether the types of flies found on paper towels in the trunk of Casey’s white Pontiac Sunfire and on Caylee’s body in the woods tell a consistent story, Haskell replied that it did.
“Decomposition had begun, but the early colonizers (flies) were excluded”, Haskell said. “At some later date, the body was removed and placed out in the woods.”
On cross-examination Jose Baez tried in vain to get Haskell to say that the flies found in the trunk of Casey’s car could have been associated with the items found in trash bags.
But Haskell pointed out that among the items found there was no organic material and even so, there would have to be a whole lot of garbage to produce the amount of flies that were found. It was his view that someone tried to wipe up the decomposing fluid in the trunk of the car and that’s why the later stage flies were on the paper towels in the trunk.
Haskell told jurors the processing of the scene at Suburban Drive where Caylee’s body was recovered is one of the most intensively processed scenes that he had witnessed in his close to 50-year career. And Baez on cross-examination seemed to bolster this fact.
Baez also got Haskell to indicate that he had been paid tens of thousands by the state for his work on the case. But this too, could have fallen flat with jurors, given that Haskell is nationally acclaimed for his work in forensic entomology.
Jennifer Welch, a Crime Scene Investigator, from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, was called for a second time to testify.
Welch, told jurors how she photographed evidence at the location where Caylee’s remains were found. She also photographed a piece of duck tape collected near the area where Caylee’s skull was found and collected plastic pink strips with lettering found at the scene.
Prosecutors next called Ronald Murdock, a Forensics Supervisor with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office to the stand.
Murdock testified that his job in connection with the case was to diagram the scene where Caylee’s body was found in the woods, including taking measurements of where evidence was located. He also photographed items found at the Anthony family home, including Winnie the Pooh bedding from Caylee’s room, heart-shaped stickers found in Casey’s room and black plastic bags found in the garage at the Anthony home.
Prosecutors believe that Casey Anthony suffocated Caylee by placing duct tape over the child’s nose and mouth, around July 16, 2008. They believe that she drove around with her body in the trunk of her car for sometime, before dumping the body in the woods. Duct tape, found on Caylee’s skull was similar to what was found in the Anthony family home. Unusually large amounts of chloroform were also detected in the trunk of Casey’s car and several witnesses have testified to the smell of human decomposition.
Casey’s defense attorneys have claimed that Caylee accidentally drowned in the family swimming pool and George Anthony, Casey’s father covered up the crime. The defense has also said that their client was sexually abused by George, and her brother Lee.
Casey, if convicted, could face the death penalty.
