Among the many suspicious circumstances that led authorities to suspect Casey Anthony of her daughter’s murder was the mystery of her car. After she had been missing for over a month, Casey’s mother Cynthia reported her to 911 for stealing money and a car. Said car was found and towed away, but an hour after her first call, Cynthia found out Caylee had been missing for a month and reached out to 911 again. “There’s something wrong,” she said through tears (via CBS News). “I found my daughter’s car today, and it smells like there’s been a dead body in the damn car.”
The car, a white Pontiac Sunfire, did not have a dead body in it. But Cynthia’s description of the smell was echoed by others. An odor analysis found seven compounds in the trunk of the car consistent with human decomposition, with five in sufficient quantities to be considered as evidence. The same team detected indications of chloroform in the carpet of the trunk at levels Dr. Arpad Vass — who was involved in the investigation — said were “shockingly … unusually high” during testimony (via CNN).
Human hair was also found in the trunk, and researchers determined that it showed signs of decomposition. It was similar in appearance to Caylee Anthony’s hair, but could not be conclusively proven to be hers, and DNA could not be pulled for a more conclusive analysis.
