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Find Near Anthony Home 1st Reported In August

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The Associated Press

Published: December 18, 2008

ORLANDO - The meter reader who last week discovered the remains of a small child near missing toddler Caylee Anthony's house had called the sheriff's office on three consecutive days in August asking deputies to respond to the scene, a sheriff's spokesman said Thursday.

The meter reader isn't a suspect in the girl's disappearance, but the sheriff's office was investigating the circumstances that led to the calls and the response of deputies and dispatchers in August, said Capt.. Angelos Nieves, a spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff's Office.

"There are a lot of questions about the thoroughness of that response," Nieves said.

Caylee's 22-year-old mother, Casey Anthony, was charged in October with killing daughter, who was reported missing in July. Casey Anthony told authorities Caylee was kidnapped by her baby sitter but detectives didn't buy her story.

"This is a perfect example of why the public and media should not be prejudging the case," said Todd Black, a spokesman for Casey Anthony's attorney, Jose Baez. "I would imagine the meter reader should get an attorney before the sheriff's office accuses him of a crime."

The meter reader first called the sheriff's office on Aug. 11 to report a bag on the side of the road. A deputy responded but didn't find anything and was unable to locate the meter reader. The meter reader called a crime hot line the following day and the information was passed on to the sheriff's office criminal investigation division.

On Aug. 13, the meter reader called the sheriff's office a third time. This time, the meter reader met a deputy and the area was cleared as a place of interest a short time later.

The remains found last week by the meter reader have not been positively identified. Because of their location and size authorities believe they are the missing toddler, who was 2 when she disappeared last summer.

Crime scene technicians today spent an eighth day at the crime scene sifting through dirt and scouring the woods. They have found "significant" skeletal remains in the same area where a child's skull was found last week, Nieves said.

The bones appear to be those of a small child, he said.

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