Imperfect Justice_ Prosecuting Casey Anthony - Jeff Ashton [56]
Kronk said a second deputy arrived at the location after the two had already walked out of the swampy area. He told the newly arrived officer what he thought was in the woods but said the second deputy didn’t even bother to go into the swamp. Both officers were under the impression that the area had already been cleared by crime scene investigators. Deputy logs reported the suspicious findings as “trash only,” writing off the scene as just one of the many false leads that had come their way since mid-July.
AS THE MOSTLY BOGUS STREAM of tips flowed in from personalities big and small who all wanted to help solve the mystery of Caylee’s disappearance, investigators did their best to stay focused on the stories that appeared likely to help. As a result, the investigative team continued to interview Casey’s friends, especially those who had seen her during the thirty-one days when Caylee was unaccounted for. The team spent most of August through October trying to acquire a clearer picture of Casey, her relationship with Caylee, and her seemingly fraught relationship with Cindy.
Since the beginning, rumors had been circulating about difficulties between Cindy and Casey. After seeing that Cindy’s brother, Rick Plesea, had been posting unflattering information about the Anthony family on the Internet, Detective Melich called him to see if he could provide some insight into the case. Rick spoke by phone with Yuri and three FBI agents: Nick Savage, Scott Bolin, and Steve McElyea. The call was put on speakerphone and the conversation was recorded.
It was immediately clear that Rick had a lot he wanted to get off his chest about Casey Anthony. He told the story, already familiar to the police, of how Casey had stolen a lot of money from her mother, and he also mentioned Casey’s theft from her grandmother, in which she had apparently forged one of her grandmother’s checks for $354 to pay an AT&T cell phone bill. When Shirley Plesea, Casey’s grandmother, found out that Casey had done this, Casey claimed she used the money to buy a new work phone for Universal Studios.
“My mom wasn’t buying that at all,” Rick told the detectives. “She said, ‘That’s the stupidest thing I ever heard of.’ . . . If you knew Casey’s propensity to lie, then you would know that was a lie right off. You know she don’t work at Universal.”
Shifting gears, Rick began to elaborate more on the strained relationship between Casey and Cindy. He said that Cindy had sought the advice of a counselor through work because of the troubles she had been having with Casey, who had been stealing money, lying, and acting irresponsibly.
“The counselor,” Rick said to the police, “had told Cindy, ‘Just kick them out on the street,’ and Cindy wouldn’t do that. She goes, ‘Uh, what about Caylee?’ She says, ‘I can’t kick my granddaughter out on the street, because Casey would try to take her.’ And finally, the counselor said, ‘Well, if you need to, file for custody.’ ”
It was tough advice, but according to Rick, Cindy took it to heart. Through his mom, Shirley, Rick had learned that Cindy indeed threatened to throw Casey “out on the street” if she didn’t behave, and even threatened to file for custody of Caylee. When asked about the friction between the two, Rick did not hesitate. “I would describe it as Casey resented Cindy,” Rick replied. “She resented Cindy to the point where she could see that Caylee likes Cindy way better than she likes her. And to me, that was normal for a baby to like the grandma, because grandmas always like to spoil kids, you know?”
As Rick explained it, the family had learned for the first time