Child's Body Found in Florida Speculated to be Caylee, Raises Spector of Smith Case

The body of a young girl has just been found a half-mile from Caylee Marie Anthony’s mother’s home, leading to speculation that it might be that of Caylee, the missing two-year-old from Florida

The body of a young child has just been found a half-mile from Caylee Marie Anthony’s mother’s home, leading to speculation that it might be that of Caylee, the two year old from Florida whose mother Casey Anthony is presently in a Florida jail awaiting a January trial on first-degree murder and manslaughter as well as other charges. Caylee vanished in June, 2008, but neither Casey Anthony nor her parents, George and Cindy Anthony reported the toddler missing for a month. In the meantime the senior Anthonys, while they haven’t visited with their daughter Casey in three months, according to news reports, they have appeared on several television programs, including Larry King Live this week, protesting their daughter’s innocence and supporting claims that Caylee had been abducted by a babysitter. Public concerns about the case of Caylee have centered around the heinous crime of a parent killing a child because the child interfered with that parent’s personal freedoms and interest in literally “living out loud,” as was the case of another famous mother, who was convicted of killing her two children by allowing her car to drive into a lake. Smith later declared that an unknown black male assailant was responsible. Investigations, however, led to determining that Susan Smith herself, who was concerned that her two children were interfering with her love life and personal interests, decided to remove these obstacles by killing her children. Smith of Union, S.C. was convicted on July 22, 1995, and sentenced to life in prison for murdering her children, Michael Daniel Smith, three, and four-month-old Alexander Tyler. Her continuing need for attention and narcissistic behavior was demonstrated by the fact that two guards were found responsible and punished for having sex with Smith, who had contracted a sexually-transmitted disease. She has been in the news from time to time over the years with reports about her seeking a pen pal and for stealing lotions for her lesbian lover. Her former husband, Todd Smith, has since remarried and has had children with his new wife, while keeping a low profile as he has continued a private life.. Infanticide and the killing of one’s children is considered culturally to be one of the greatest taboos because of the belief that the mother is an important caregiver and central to a child’s life, according to experts who have studied the problem. A woman who kills her own children is viewed as abnormal, anti-motherly, regardless of what pressures may exist in the mother’s life. .It is a crime that causes consternation for most people, as reflected in the outpouring of negative response including visits to the grandparents home in the case of Caylee with private citizens calling for justice. In Susan Smith’s situation, people responded all over the country, and many actually made pilgrimages to the site where Smith had killed her young children, laying bouquets of flowers on the spot by way of memorials. It is likely the nation, and the Florida community of the Anthonys, will respond as they did to Susan Smith, if the body found today is that of Caylee Anthony, rejecting the mother, calling for justice, and establishing memorials, with talk show hosts discussing the nature of the crime. The trial will likely be major news in January, making the first month of 2009 likely a high water time for news because of Barack Obama's inauguration on January 20 and this trial of Casey Anthony, which will be another sensational one rivaling that of Susan Smith 13 years ago.