In a horrible parallel with the ongoing trial of Casey Anthony for the murder of her daughter, it was revealed that the bones of Milly Dowler were gnawed by animals in the same way as those of two year old Caylee before it was discovered in woods some 25 miles from her home.
Today, testifying in Court 8 at the Central Criminal Court, pathologist Dr Hugh White told the jury that he was taken by Surrey Police to the site where the girl’s remains were found scattered by wild animals.
Levi Bellfield is alleged to have attempted to kidnap 11 year old
Rachel Cowles on March 20, 2002 and to have kidnapped Milly the following day and murdered her soon after. Her disappearance led initially to one of the most extensive missing person investigations ever mounted by Surrey Police.
Last Friday in the Casey Anthony trial, Dr Jan Garavaglia gave
unshakeable testimony to the effect that the victim had been murdered because of the circumstances in which the body was found. Today, Dr White gave
essentially the same testimony in this trial; although there was no obvious cause of injury, he said he could exclude natural causes because “This is a girl of 13-years-old found in an environment where she could not have got to by herself - and she was without any clothes.”
That pronouncement effectively rules out suicide as well. The body was positively identified from an old shoulder fracture and dental records.
According to Dr White, it had been in the woods for months rather than weeks. Although he was unable to identify the cause of death, he said he could not exclude suffocation or strangulation.
The case will continue tomorrow.
A timeline of Bellfield's crimes - proven and alleged - can be found
here.
