CASEY ANTHONY TRIAL: THE FORENSIC EVIDENCE

Marion Pellicano Ambrose

The Casey Anthony trial resumed today and the first witness called was Dr. Arpad Vass, researcher at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (aka “The Body Farm”) in Tennessee. Vass has discovered a new technique for detecting human decomposition from air samples. Vass testified that the odor of human decomposition is different than the smell of animal decomposition.

"I jumped back a foot or two," Vass said of the odor he detected when opening a can containing an air sample from Casey’s car, "It was shocking that strong of an odor could be in that little can."
Vass presented charts showing high levels of certain compounds in samples taken from Anthony's car. One of the compounds present, chloroform, Vass said was found in "shockingly high" amounts on a sample taken from a stained portion of carpet in Anthony's trunk.

The Prosecution hopes to prove that traces of Caylee’s decomposing body were found in the carpet of Casey’s car.  Defense attorney Baez dismissed the evidence calling it “junk science”

 Over the weekend Orange County Sheriff's Office crime scene supervisor Michael Vincent testified saying that he helped obtain several air samples from the car trunk. Vincent said air samples also were taken from a bag of trash that had been in the car trunk. Vincent assisted in the processing of Anthony's car in July 2008, collecting stain and air samples from the vehicle, including the trunk. Vincent said processing Anthony's car was the first time that he had ever collected an air sample. Again Baez dismissed the evidence saying that it was too new and unprecedented.

On Saturday, FBI forensic expert Karen Korsberg Lowe testified as an expert that one hair removed from the trunk of Casey Anthony's car was consistent with hair from a dead person and was similar to hair pulled off Caylee Anthony's brush. Under cross-examination Lowe said that she could not be 100 percent certain that the hair was from a dead person or specifically from Caylee.

There’s a lot on the line for Casey Anthony, who is facing the death penalty if convicted. She has seven counts against her, including first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and misleading investigators.

Justice for Caylee