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Nancy Grace

Charges Filed Against Missing Toddler`s Mother

Aired August 05, 2008 - 20:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

NANCY GRACE, HOST: Breaking news tonight. Police desperately searching for a beautiful little 2-year-old Florida girl, Caylee, after her grandparents report her missing, little Caylee now not seen for six long weeks, last seen with her mother. So why didn`t Mommy call police?
Headlines tonight. In the last hours, felony criminal charges handed down against Caylee`s mother, Casey Anthony facing hard jail time on felony child neglect and lying to investigators, investigators who are trying to find her little girl. As of this hour, the state holding off on murder charges. And even more stunning and disturbing photos emerge of mom, Casey, at a local nightclub after her little 2-year-old girl vanishes.

And tonight: DNA testing reportedly completed on hair and fluid found in Casey`s car trunk. After telling us he never asked for immunity for mom, Casey, in exchange for helping police, defense attorney Baez breaks down and admits that, yes, immunity has been discussed. And does a tip lead police to a heavily wooded area at a local elementary school with cadaver dogs in the search for Caylee?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Criminal charges just filed against Casey Anthony. The tot mom has been formally charged in connection with the disappearance of her daughter, Caylee Marie Anthony. The 22-year-old Anthony has been charged with felony child neglect for not reporting 2-year-old Caylee missing and also has been charged with lying to investigators. The next hearing in the case has been scheduled for August 21, and Anthony faces up to six years in prison on those charges alone.

While Anthony remains in jail, her mother, Cindy Anthony, chose not to meet with her own daughter this afternoon, saying she can`t discuss certain things with Anthony because the conversations are all being recorded and she fears for Caylee`s safety, this while the public anxiously awaits results of the forensic testing on Anthony`s car, set to be released this week.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Again, Casey is the key to this investigation. She knows what she did. She knows what time was the last time she saw the child, who she may have left the child with. Our concern is to find Caylee, going to be 3 years old on Saturday. That`s our concern.

CINDY ANTHONY, MISSING TODDLER`S GRANDMOTHER: We`ve all made mistakes. But right now, she`s not making a mistake. She`s protecting her child. And no one can say or second-guess what you`re going to do to protect your child when you fear for their safety. I don`t fear for Casey`s safety, so I`m not out there protecting her. I`m out there protecting my grandchild because I do fear for her.

Get off your (DELETED) and look for my granddaughter. I don`t care if this is on the news or what. But she`s out there.

I`m going to do whatever it takes to take advantage of the media, and if it continues to drag our family through the mud and whatever, as long as Caylee`s picture is out there every day and that picture gets ingrained on everybody`s brain and they look -- as long as they don`t give up, she`s coming home. She might come home this afternoon. She may come home tomorrow. I hope she`s home by Saturday. If she`s not, you know what? I`m not giving up just because her birthday`s Saturday.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us tonight. Police desperately searching for a beautiful 2-year-old Florida girl, Caylee, now not seen for six long weeks. In the last hours, felony criminal charges handed down against Caylee`s mom. And even more stunning and disturbing photos emerge of mom, Casey, at a local nightclub after her little girl vanishes, all the while, DNA testing reportedly complete on hair and fluid found in mom, Casey`s, car trunk.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Breaking developments in the case of the missing 2-year-old Florida toddler Caylee Anthony. Prosecutors have formally charged Caylee`s mother, Casey Anthony, with child neglect and lying to police officers regarding the disappearance of her daughter. Meanwhile, Anthony`s mother, Cindy Anthony, said that she decided to cancel her visit with daughter, Casey Anthony, because she felt it would hinder the search for her granddaughter, Caylee.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Casey, you have to tell me if you know anything about Caylee.

CASEY ANTHONY, MOTHER OF MISSING TODDLER: Sweetheart...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If anything happens to Caylee, Casey, I`ll die! You understand? I`ll die if anything happens to that baby!

CASEY ANTHONY: Whoa. Oh, my God. Calling you guys -- a waste, huge waste. Honey, I love you. You know I would not let anything happen to my daughter. If I knew where she was, this wouldn`t be going on.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CINDY ANTHONY: If they had something to charge her, why wouldn`t they do it today, with everything else? So I mean, hello? That`s -- we`ve known this all along. Why else did they go and handcuff her and put her in jail? Because they feel that she -- she needs to be there. And again, once Caylee is found, everybody`s going to know that she doesn`t need to be there. She doesn`t belong there, and she doesn`t deserve what everybody`s doing to her. No one knows everything. I don`t know 100 percent, but I sure as heck know a lot more, but I can`t say a lot of things.

Today is actually very hopeful day. You know, I just found out that, you know, they did charge her formally today, which actually is a good thing because look what they charged her with. They didn`t charge her with anything but with, you know, voluntary child neglect and withholding evidence. If they had anything concrete on her, I think they would have used that today. Today was the last day that they had an opportunity to do so. That is in essence, a victory for us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Casey`s mother, stating that a felony indictment, felony charge against her daughter -- pictured here partying after her little girl goes missing, that`s her the night of the "hot body" contest, photos that emerged yesterday and today of mom, Casey -- she finds these charges a victory?

Straight out to Mark Williams, WNDB Newstalk 1150. Everyone, we are taking your calls live. Mark, what is the latest?

MARK WILLIAMS, WNDB NEWSTALK 1150: Well, this is like going down Lombard Street in San Francisco, still a lot of twists and turns in this case. Of course, the charges have been filed about child endangerment against Casey Anthony. That is a felony in this state. So in essence, what happens from this point is that no court date has been set as of yet. She will be arraigned in the next 21 days. And during that arraignment, she doesn`t have to be there but she will probably submit a plea by arriving with a trial date set within 175 days after her initial arrest. Also, of course, that giving false information to law enforcement officers, that is a misdemeanor. That`s almost a throwaway charge. But those are the big deals.

Now, when you get with child neglect cases, basically, they`re saying that you haven`t taken care of the child that you were charged with. You haven`t cared for their physical health. You haven`t cared for their mental well-being. So that`s where those charges come from.

Again, a report today, unconfirmed right now -- we`re working on that situation -- about the DNA. Allegedly, investigators have this DNA report back. They aren`t going to -- they`re looking at it right now, but they aren`t going to release it to the media. And if they do, it`s going to be in a very controlled environment.

Cadaver dogs out on the street again today in Orange County. They searched a wooded area behind an elementary school. They got a tip earlier about there may be something back there, so they took the cadaver dogs back into a wooded area, and what they did is they searched back there. They couldn`t come up with anything. Cadaver dogs didn`t hit on anything. And as you know, the dogs have already hit at the Anthony homestead in east Orange County, as well as in the back of Casey`s car.

Also, let`s talk about those new pictures. Took a look at them just a short time ago. I`ll tell you what. These things again knocked my socks off. Five days after her child went missing, she is out at this "hot body" contest, bumping and grinding with anybody she could. Some of the pictures show her doing basically bumping and grinding and -- with another female. And one of the pictures shows this other female giving Casey a kiss on the cheek.

They`re kind of scandalous photos and also puts you in her mindset. She didn`t care about the kid, apparently. And what happened is she`s out partying. I mean, this is almost akin to O.J. looking for the murderer. She`s not looking for her child. Obviously, O.J. isn`t looking for the murderer of 12 years ago.

And Cindy Anthony was supposed to have an hour-long session today -- visit today with Casey, her daughter, at the Orange County jail. And the deal is, she didn`t show up at 1:00 PM when she was scheduled to do so. She knows that all of her conversations with Casey are recorded. As you recall, last week a judge here in Orange County said, We`re going to err on the side of the 1st Amendment. We`re going to release everything that`s put out there. So she didn`t want that videotape of her jailhouse visit to be released because she says the media misconstrues it.

So that`s pretty much it. Now we`re waiting for the birthday party on Saturday. Can`t wait to see if Caylee Marie shows up.

GRACE: Yes. Everyone, Mark Williams with WNDB is referring specifically to a statement made by grandmother Cindy Anthony that we just played for you, stating that Caylee would be home today, this afternoon, tomorrow or by Saturday, her 3rd birthday.

Let`s unleash the lawyers. We`re taking your calls live. With me, family law attorney and child advocate out of New York Susan Moss, Raymond Giudice, defense attorney out of Atlanta, and veteran trial lawyer Jason Oshins out of New York.

Susan Moss, the grandmother, Cindy Anthony, is saying that this felony charge is a victory because it`s not a murder one charge. Have you considered, Susan Moss, that it is a ploy, a ploy to keep Casey Anthony behind bars until they get a murder one charge together?

SUSAN MOSS, FAMILY LAW ATTORNEY: Absolutely, and until they look at this DNA evidence in full. But these charges are going to stick. She lost her child. I`d say that`s pretty neglectful. She also very clearly lied to the police. You know, even an old pizza receipt isn`t going to save her from this.

GRACE: You know -- I want to go to Raymond Giudice. I`ve got with me the information, the charges against Casey Anthony, these charges just handed down in the last hours. One is a felony. One is a misdemeanor. And specifically in the felony, Raymond, the state charges that she did not make a reasonable effort to protect Caylee from abuse, neglect or exploitation by another person. In the count two misdemeanor, it says she lied about the date and location where she last saw the child. So they`ve narrowed down out of a myriad, a hodgepodge of possible charges -- this is what they`ve fine-tooled the charges to be. Why?

RAYMOND GIUDICE, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, they wanted to get the clock running. They want to keep her from being released because of the restriction on the bond problem. But more importantly, Nancy, I will want to say this creates a problem for the state in that the defense now has an absolute right to a preliminary hearing, where the defendant will not have to testify and not be cross-examined, but attorney Baez can put the state`s witnesses up and start cross-examining them under oath right now-...

GRACE: Ray...

GIUDICE: ... and say...

GRACE: Ray...

GIUDICE: ... What evidence do you have?

GRACE: They already had that right. The hearing would have been tomorrow, had they exercised the right and demanded one. They already had a right to a preliminary hearing. This changes nothing.

GIUDICE: But the information does not stop that right to a hearing.

GRACE: So?

GIUDICE: But what it does, is, Nancy, it narrows the scope for the defense lawyer at the preliminary hearing to say, I want to attack these specific charges and allegations. You`ve narrowed this down -- the state has. Now prove it.

GRACE: You know, Jason Oshins, I`ve got a different take on it. Contrary to what Ray Giudice just said, the defense always had a right to a preliminary hearing. When you`re waiting for a charge and X number of days go by in your jurisdiction, you have a right to say to the state, Put up or shut up. The defendant at a preliminary hearing, or any hearing, never has to take a stand. That`s not anything new. That`s not a headline. Of course, she doesn`t have to take the stand. They already had a right to preliminary hearing.

I see this as a step forward for the state, a felony charge and a misdemeanor charge, because out of all the things they could have picked, I think they picked these two charges because they`re going to be so easy to prove.

JASON OSHINS, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: You`re exactly correct. They were the easiest ones to bring forth. Clearly, just on the facts as we all know them, it has the appearance of neglect. And certainly, if that were the only charge ever brought, you know, you`d feel confident as the prosecutor that you`ve got a good shot of conviction by jury.

So they`re certainly engaging in procedural law by holding her on charges within the 21 days, and I don`t even think defense would have met the burden of, you know, these de minimis charges in terms of, you know, having them tossed and having her released on bond. Although the interesting thing, now that there`s an information, they do have another shot at going for bond with a different circuit judge.

GRACE: How will it affect the bond, Ray Giudice, quickly?

GIUDICE: I don`t think it`ll affect the bond in her favor at all. In fact, I think it argues strongly against it.

GRACE: So the bond -- wasn`t it -- Nikki Pierce with WDBO radio, wasn`t the bond at $500,000?

NIKKI PIERCE, WDBO: It was at $500,000, and Jose Baez keeps saying that that is prohibitively high and that`s keeping her in jail. But who knows what another circuit judge will come up with.

GRACE: Well, the appellate courts have already ruled, Sue Moss -- he took it up on appeal -- that the bond stays as is. They -- one line in the decision, denied, the rehearing on the bond. The charges haven`t changed. What I`m trying to say, Sue Moss, is she was arrested on child neglect. That was the bond on child neglect, $500,000. Now she`s been formally charged on child neglect. I agree with Ray on that one. Nothing has really changed, except maybe the state has a more powerful position now.

MOSS: Absolutely. The appellate court said that there was no abuse of discretion in setting that level of bond, and I don`t see a circuit court changing that number.

GRACE: A lot happening today in the search for 2-year-old Caylee Anthony. Number one, formal charges handed down -- a formal information, it is called in that jurisdiction -- against Casey Anthony. One, felony child neglect. Two, lying to police officers. She`s looking at a jail time of six years behind bars.

We`re taking your calls. Out to Artie in Iowa. Hi, Artie.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi.

GRACE: What`s your question, dear?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, first of all, your twins are beautiful...

GRACE: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... and they couldn`t have found a better mother.

GRACE: I pray that you`re right. Thank you. What`s your question, dear?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, has anybody really interviewed the mother of this lady? Because she seems to know a lot more than what she`s saying.

GRACE: Well, it`s interesting you would say that, Artie. I know that she has met not only with the FBI, Artie in Iowa, but also with local police for hours on end.

But -- to Nikki Pierce with WDBO -- she said just today she canceled a scheduled visitation with Casey because she didn`t want it to be on videoconference, where we can see what she is saying. Now, why is it that she wouldn`t want the world to know what they`re saying about the search for little Caylee, Nikki?

PIERCE: That is an awfully good question. And you`re right, investigators do say that she has been cooperating. But the problem is, most of the information that she`s giving investigators she`s gotten from Casey. And they already know that Casey has just been lying and lying.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. I can tell you, I haven`t -- you know, that is one of -- I mean, if there`s stones to be unturned, that`s one of hundreds, I`m sure. But it`s not off the radar, either. But you know, it`s not something that I`ve probably put all of my time and effort into, either, no.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There were some items that were almost pretty much like a bucket worth of, like, stuffed animals, toys, things like that, that were donated for Caylee, you know, to the family to say, you know, When she gets back, she can play with all this stuff, and all those kind of things. Now, the items, they reeked of cigarette smoke, and we`re not smokers here, you know, for all those things. I know that some of those items were tried to be cleaned up or washed or things like that. But if something was so -- you know what I mean? If it`s kind of built into the cloth. My parents decided, you know, just to throw it away.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: You are seeing stunning and disturbing photos just received today. These are photos taken by another fellow partier. This is at the "hot body" contest five days after little Caylee allegedly went missing. This is her mom, partying down at a local nightclub. Now, the defense team with us tonight will tell you these prove nothing, but in my mind, they speak volumes -- evidentiary habitual behavior on the part of mom, Casey Anthony. She`s not looking for her daughter.

We are taking your calls live. Out to Delores in Florida. Hi, Delores.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Nancy. How are you?

GRACE: I`m good, dear. What`s your question?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good. I`m trying to figure out -- because it had been a while since they sent those cadaver dogs out there.

GRACE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m thinking they need to send those dogs back out there, since they did come up on something. It was a lot of evidence that could have been erupted (ph), you know, from the time...

GRACE: That they went out there? Well, Delores, interesting you would bring that up because there are reports that we`re trying to confirm right now that cadaver dogs were sent out to a local elementary school.

Very quickly, Nikki Pierce, what can you tell us about that?

PIERCE: Well, they were sent out to search a wooded area near an elementary school.

GRACE: Today?

PIERCE: Based on a tip today, as we understand it. And the cadaver dogs did not hit on anything at that particular time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CINDY ANTHONY: The whole focus on the media, I`ve been trying to tell you from day one, is finding Caylee, this little child right here. She is the victim in all of this. Casey is also a victim in all this, but you know what? Casey`s safe. I know where she`s at. She`s very well protected where she`s at. This little one is not protected.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CINDY ANTHONY: I`m too trusting of people I`ve just met. I`ve gotten burned by all of you guys. So again, I can look you all in the eyes and you can say how you feel sorry for me, but then you can go back to your stations and allow them to make me look out to be some horrible person that had something to do with Caylee`s disappearance. So think about that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: That is grandmother Cindy Anthony responding to the media. Bombshell today. Formal charges handed down against mom, Casey, charges of felony child neglect and misdemeanor, lying to police.

I want to go out to a very special guest joining us tonight, speaking to us for the first interview since formal charges have been filed against Casey Anthony. This is little Caylee`s former babysitter, Holly Gagne. She`s a very dear friend of the Anthony family. Holly, what is your response to these charges?

HOLLY GAGNE, ANTHONY FAMILY FRIEND, BABYSAT FOR CAYLEE: Well, you know, it doesn`t -- it doesn`t sound great when you say it`s a victory that your child`s been charged, you know, with these charges. But I guess they`re looking at it as all the things, the terrible murder charges or the part of her death (ph) -- that they think everyone`s been leading up to and just blatantly saying, they`re just happy that they`re sticking with the obstruction of justice and...

GRACE: Right. So they`re looking for any silver lining whatsoever.

GAGNE: That would be an exact statement.

GRACE: Holly, do they really believe -- Cindy Anthony says Caylee`s going to be home for her birthday this Saturday. Do they really believe that?

GAGNE: I believe they`re hoping that, and I believe they`re speaking just in a positive manner that she`s going to be home. And that`s what we`re all doing.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CINDY ANTHONY, GRANDMOTHER OF MISSING CAYLEE ANTHONY: Casey gave me an explanation where she was, and it was very -- it was very, you know, believable. And I had no reason to ever doubt my daughter.

Casey has lied to me in the past. And when she`s lied, she`s told me the truth. We`ve always gotten to the bottom of the truth. The only thing that raised a red flag to me is the fact that Casey could not tell me where she was at.

I never tried to find out where Caylee was because I didn`t have a reason to find out where Caylee was. She was with Casey. Every time I spoke with Casey, I asked if I could speak with Caylee.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: And you were denied that opportunity?

ANTHONY: I didn`t feel like I was being denied anything. It was an inopportunity or there -- is all I could say.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Let`s go straight out to Marc Klaas joining us, president and founder of Klaas Kids Foundation. He`s also a crime victim. His daughter Polly was abducted and then murdered.

When he was approached in the search for his daughter Polly, he said, take my DNA, search my house, search my car, strap me up to a polygraph, but do it quickly so you can go look for the kidnapper.

We`re seeing just the opposite in this case.

Now, Marc, I want you to stay with me on this. Is there a scenario where Casey Anthony was just fed up being a mom, she wanted to be single again. I mean you could see these just-released photos of her out partying after Caylee goes missing.

She wants to be free and single. She wants to shack up with the boyfriend. So she allows a babysitter or some third party to take the little girl on vacation or to sit with the little girl for a period of weeks.

That is feasible, yes, no?

MARC KLAAS, FOUNDER, BEYONDMISSING.COM, FATHER OF MURDER VICTIM POLLY KLAAS: Yes. You know, that`s just.

GRACE: Except if that`s true, Marc, why now doesn`t she say, "I sent the baby with x, they`re on vacation, here`s how to reach them?" Why is she not helping cops? That`s the fly in the ointment.

KLAAS: Well -- but if you extend that scenario out, is getting rid of the child one way or the other so that she could engage in the kind of lifestyle she`s always envisioned for herself, then you would take it to the level of O.J. Simpson or so many of these other husbands that kill their wives because they interfere with the kind of lifestyle that they want. That`s why she can`t -- or possibly why she can`t do anything.

But very quickly here, I`d like to respond to something that Cindy said. She said that nobody can second-guess somebody in a situation like this. But I believe I`m in a perfect position to do so. And what I think should happen here is, I think, the family should step back for a -- take a long weekend or something, because we`re seeing some really bad behavior out of them right now.

The brother says that donated gifts for the child will get thrown in a dumpster because they might smell like smoke. Well, if you don`t like them, send them to an orphanage. Send them to CPS. Send them to the children`s advocacy center. There are other children that can take advantage of it.

And this business of Cindy blaming absolutely everybody for her problems right now I think is a dire mistake. What she has to realize is that the police are looking for the little girl, that, in fact, the media, yourselves, all of us, the public is looking for the little girl. We want her to be brought home desperately.

But the reality is that there`s not a lot of twists and turns in this case. Everything today is exactly as it was at the very beginning. The likelihood of finding Caylee is not very great until Casey starts cooperating and let`s people know what actually happened.

GRACE: Mark Klaas, you are in a position to second-guess, because you`ve been in the same exact spot when your little girl, Polly, went missing.

And what`s disturbing to me is that everyone -- her family and others -- are just taking what she is spoonfeeding them. And it doesn`t make sense. You know why it doesn`t make sense what she`s saying? Because we are trying to apply logic to something illogical.

KLAAS: Yes. No, there.

GRACE: I want to.

KLAAS: Yes, there`s no question about that at all.

GRACE: Back to special guest tonight, Holly Gagne, Caylee`s former babysitter. She is speaking out for the first time since the charges have come down. Formal charges handed down today against mom Casey Anthony.

Holly, I can go that scenario that she gave Caylee to someone to keep for a period of time. But why would you sit behind bars and torture your family, torture a public who wants to find the little girl, instead of saying, "I gave her to the babysitter, here`s her number. She`s supposed to be back on x."

What`s the big deal? I don`t understand it. Why would she lie and sit in jail rather than tell the truth if it`s innocent?

HOLLY GAGNE, FMR. BABYSITTER TO CAYLEE, FIRST INTERVIEW SINCE CHARGES CAME DOWN: Why, why, why? Yes, that`s what we`re all saying. You know, there`s rumors or there`s been talk that because she`s trying to protect her there`s something she can`t say, she can`t -- you know, there`s -- there is all this confusion.

And I want to say to you, Nancy, and to the America and -- she is going to have to answer to everybody. I mean, she is going to be held accountable. This girl isn`t just going to get her daughter back tomorrow and, oh, everything is going to be fine.

I want to know why and you want to know why. Our community wants to know why. We`re all, her family -- they were at my home for two hours yesterday. And, I mean, it was heart wrenching. And so she`s got a lot of questions to answer. I mean, I -- that is not being dismissed.

GRACE: But why is she not answering unless there`s something horribly wrong with this scenario?

GAGNE: OK.

GRACE: Unless Caylee isn`t dead? I`ll just put it out there. Why isn`t she answering her own mother and father? What`s there -- what could be worse than what she`s doing right now?

GAGNE: OK. She`s saying, you know -- I don`t know all the answers because I`m not there and they`re not able to tell me everything. But they truly believe that she is in danger, that there`s a friend or there`s someone that`s hurting her or she could be hurt and that she feels like if she says this that they would hurt the child.

Nancy, that`s all I can say to you. That`s the only answer I can give you.

GRACE: Well, you know what, I believe you. And just as Marc Klaas said at the get-go, we`re no further along in finding Caylee than we were when she went missing back on June 16, the last time anybody has seen her alive.

I want to go back to our reporters, Mark Williams and Nikki Pierce.

Mark, what do we know about reports that the DNA taken from samples in mom Casey`s car trunk are back?

MARK WILLIAMS, NEWS DIRECTOR, WNDB NEWSTALK 1150: There`s a report that`s been surfacing for the past couple of hours that investigators, in fact, have the DNA reports. We`re still trying to confirm it on this end. And I know a lot of media outlets are doing the same.

Everybody right now remaining tight lipped about that because they`ve said in the past that those -- the DNA is expected back by the end of the week. I don`t think they would have filed these formal charges today unless they had some solid leads in this case.

GRACE: I want to go to Anjali Swienton, president and CEO of Cy Law Forensic. She is joining us tonight out of Tampa.

How long would it take to analyze hair, which police have already said is an eye match to Caylee found in the trunk and possible body fluids found in the trunk? How long would it take? They`ve also made the announcement today that they`ve got Caylee`s DNA. So they have a known comparison.

So what`s the holdup?

ANJALI SWIENTON, CEO, SCILAWFORENSICS, LTD.: Well, Nancy, it depends on a couple of different things, what type of DNA testing the lab is attempting to do. If they do nuclear DNA, which doesn`t actually test the hair but tests skin cells at the root of the hair, the amount of hands-on time to conduct the testing could just be as little as a day or two.

But, again, if that hair had been left in the trunk of the car, in the heat in Florida, in the summer, and there wasn`t a lot of cellular material, they have another option, which is mitochondrial DNA testing.

That type of testing is done on the actual piece of hair as opposed to the cells and only certain laboratories are equipped with conducting this type of testing. It`s a completely different type of testing and can take a little bit longer to do.

GRACE: When you say a little bit longer, what do you mean by that? Give me a ballpark.

SWIENTON: If they start the testing, say, on one day, they may be able to get preliminary results within about a week. You said they do have.

GRACE: OK. That makes sense. That makes sense. Yes, they do have an exemplar, a sample of her hair. And when Anjali Swienton is referring to the cell of the hair she`s talking about the root, the root, as opposed to the shaft.

If you have the root you have nuclear DNA. If you have only the shaft of the hair you have to go with mitochondrial DNA which she says takes much longer.

Out to the lines, Rita in California. Hi, Rita.

RITA, CALIFORNIA RESIDENT: Hi, Nancy. I`m a mother of twins and I`m also a grandmother. So I`m speaking for the grandmothers here. If I knew anything about my granddaughter, if I had any information, I would tell the world.

I do not understand this grandmother stating, I know information about this case, but I`m not allowed to speak. I do not understand that. From my point of view, I think that`s wrong. I think America should pray for this child right now.

Thank you.

GRACE: Rita, I agree with you. But I don`t want to crucify Cindy Anthony as much as we think she may be wrong, because she`s not responsible for Caylee`s disappearance.

But by not revealing what she has been told, is that hindering the investigation to find 2-year-old Caylee Anthony?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY: Today is actually very hopeful day. You know, I just found out that, you know, they did charge her formally today, which actually is a good thing because look what they charged her with. Didn`t charge her with anything but what -- you know, voluntary child neglect and withholding evidence.

If they had anything concrete on her, I think they would have used that today and today was the last day that they had an opportunity to do so. That, in essence, is a victory for us.

It was very difficult for me not to go see her today, but I think it`s in Caylee`s best interest. I think it`s for her safety, because those recordings are -- you know, the videos are public -- can be public record. It was a very hard decision for me, but it`s all about Caylee and it`s all about her safety.

So as much as I wanted to go see Casey today and visit with her, I -- you know, I couldn`t.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Bombshells dropping today in the search for 2-year-old little Caylee Anthony. Number one, formal criminal charges handed down against mom, Casey Anthony, charges for child neglect and lying to investigators.

On top of that, reports that cadaver dogs have been sent to an elementary school there near their home apparently hitting on nothing. That`s pursuant to a tip police received.

We also have reports that the DNA samples taken out of the back of mom Casey`s trunk have been completed. We don`t know the answer. Were those hairs belonging to Caylee? Was it her body fluid in that car trunk?

Remember that car found abandoned with mom Casey`s pocketbook sitting there on the front seat. Why?

We are taking your calls live. I want to go out to T.J. Ward, president of Investigative Consultants International.

T.J., thank you for being with us.

T.J, WARD, PRESIDENT, CEO, INVESTIGATIVE CONSULTANTS INTERNATIONAL, INC.: I`m glad to meet you.

GRACE: T.J., given all of the media exposure in this case, what do you make of the fact that we haven`t found little Caylee yet? And how is that helping or hurting the investigation?

WARD: Well, I don`t know if it`s hurting or helping one way or the other. But the mere fact that the family getting on and talking in front of the media and making exposure to the police, I don`t think that`s a good sign.

The mere fact we go back to the dog -- go back to the cadaver dogs hitting on the car and the car being abandoned and being left and she not having an answer, I think she`s probably in jail trying to figure out an alibi.

She`s probably embarrassed about something happening to the child. And we believe that probably she`s trying to figure out what her alibi is going to be about her embarrassment. I`ve seen a case like this before most recently where a child was left in a car in a heated -- at a grocery store and left in 115 degrees and could not figure out why she wouldn`t tell the truth about leaving the baby in the car, telling everybody she took the baby into the -- she took the baby into the store when she really didn`t.

GRACE: Joining me right now is a very special guest, joining us by phone is Cindy Anthony. Thank you for being with us.

ANTHONY: Hey, Nancy. I`m only here because of Holly.

GRACE: I understand. Tell us -- I can see when you are speaking on camera how much it hurt you not to go to that visitation today. Why didn`t.

ANTHONY: Absolutely. Absolutely.

GRACE: Why didn`t you go to the jail?

ANTHONY: I didn`t go to the jail because I`m protecting Caylee`s well-being. And that is.

GRACE: Can you explain to us how -- not go -- how -- and I understand you think you`re going to be overheard and it`s going to be released to the media. Understood and agree.

ANTHONY: I`m not -- I don`t think I`m going to be overheard, Nance. It`s a fact that they tape everything.

GRACE: It will be.

ANTHONY: Exactly.

GRACE: It will be.

ANTHONY: And they.

GRACE: But why is it that what she may say about the search for Caylee would hurt Caylee?

ANTHONY: Well, again, the people that have her -- the whole reason Casey is behind bars is because she`s protecting Caylee`s safety. And I cannot say that enough.

Unfortunately, you know, I can`t say things that`s going to jeopardize what we`re doing looking for this child. And I refuse to do so. And I`m not going to waste my time worrying about justifying pictures that you`re showing on your show every night that are two and three years old.

I do want to address.

GRACE: Well, what about the ones that are five days after Caylee went missing? The one I just showed.

ANTHONY: Well, one of the local reporters, Nancy -- one of the local reporters verified with a Fusion employee that that was taken on June 13th, which was prior to Caylee`s disappearance.

GRACE: Well, before you go any further.

ANTHONY: The reason I called.

GRACE: . the photographer that took those photos has given us the date of five days after Caylee went missing, which was the 15th. I know that you guys saw her on the morning of the 16th. And the others are taken by a fellow partier, who also states it`s five days later.

So that`s two sources supporting the date of the photos. But forget the photos. I want to.

ANTHONY: OK. Forget the photos. The reason I`m calling is.

GRACE: The search for Caylee.

ANTHONY: All right. Here`s the thing. Your expert witness, who has some, you know -- some experience in this doesn`t have the exact experience that I have. And I -- you know, I understand that he has a perspective that a lot of people don`t have. But to compare Casey to O.J. Simpson, that she had no way out.

Casey had a way out if she wanted to not be a mom anymore. Casey lived in a loving family and so did Caylee. Casey knew that any time she had any opportunity -- and obviously if you guys have photographs of her over the last few years going out and enjoying her life -- you know, enjoying life as a 22-year-old and a 20-year-old and a 21-year-old, and a 19-year-old normally would, she had that opportunity.

So someone needs to step back for a minute and think what changed? What would make sense? Well, what we`ve been saying all along that someone took her daughter. Casey has not an irresponsible mother. She did not leave her car. She`s not embarrassed. I mean to say that it`s an embarrassment that she`s trying to sit in jail to cover up, you know, to think about a cover-up for an embarrassment?

Casey`s a mom that puts an extra key in her pocket every time she takes her daughter in the car because she`s afraid if she tries to grab too many things and she leaves her purse she doesn`t want to lock the car and not have a key that she can get in there and get her purse back out or to take care of her daughter.

You know, she thinks, again, every little thing she thinks about and everything we think about is child proofing, making sure that that little girl is safe. So that`s why I can say 100 percent Caylee -- Casey may have told lies and she`s continuing to maintain -- since she`s been, you know, with the authorities she`s maintained and has not changed her story that someone that she entrusted this child to has taken her and has betrayed her trust.

And.

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GRACE: Police desperately searching for 2-year-old Caylee Anthony. With me now her grandmother Cindy Anthony.

Miss Anthony, thank you for calling in. You seem hopeful Caylee will be home by her birthday on Saturday. Why?

ANTHONY: Well, I hope that`s the case. I mean every day I feel like we`re getting closer to locating where she`s at. Casey`s maintained all along she doesn`t know where Caylee is at. Casey`s maintained all along that she doesn`t trust the authorities and, you know, as much as I want to say I can`t blame her for certain things that.

GRACE: Well, can I ask you.

ANTHONY: . you know I`ve seen and heard over the last three weeks.

GRACE: Can I ask you -- I know you will not reveal who your daughter says took -- has Caylee but do you know.

ANTHONY: I can`t, Nancy.

GRACE: Do you know who it is? Has she told you?

ANTHONY: Again, we`re pretty confident that we`re on the right track.

GRACE: So I`m going to take that as a yes. How are you going about finding her if you`re not having police help you?

ANTHONY: Police is -- police are helping. You know, we`ve spoken with a lot of different authorities over the last several weeks. More so in the last week than we have, you know, since the onset.

GRACE: OK.

ANTHONY: . because we were putting everything in Orange County`s hands, and we`ve been working closely with them over the last -- we`re probably very close.

GRACE: What do you make of the cadaver dogs hitting on the car?

ANTHONY: One cadaver dog, Nancy. Let`s get that straight.

GRACE: OK. Cadaver dog. What do make of the dog hitting on the car?

ANTHONY: One cadaver dog. And same cadaver dog that was the one that was inconsistent in my backyard, the same.

GRACE: OK.

ANTHONY: Explain to me why they had to go an extra day and bring an extra dog in.

GRACE: With us, everyone, is.

ANTHONY: . because that cadaver dog didn`t hit the same spot more than once.

GRACE: . Caylee`s grandmother, Cindy Anthony.

Very quickly, let`s remember Army Private First Class Tyler Smith, 22, Bethel, Maine, killed, Iraq. He leaves behind grieving parents, Martin and Wendy, widow, Heather.

Tyler Smith, American hero.

Thank you so much for being with us, to our guests and you, for inviting us into your homes. Good night from Georgia friends of the show, Sam, Susan, Courtney, Robert, Carly, Emily and Beth.

Everyone, we`ll see you tomorrow night 8:00 sharp Eastern, and until then, good night, friends.

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