2009.06.19 Autopsy Report Released

[headndownstream]

"Several pieces of overlapping duct tape, placed over the anterior portion of the lower skull"

Awww, she was really silenced! One wasn't enough? Not like in the movies, huh? Now I'm getting angry all over again.

 

[CentralFLMama]

IMO, if it looks like a duck and walks like a duck and quacks like a duck.. it's probably a duck. We have a dead toddler with duct tape covering her nose and mouth. It's a pretty safe bet to think she was smothered with it. I don't think sealing in bodily fluids is really the more likely event.

JMO

 

[nephers]

After reading that several pieces of duct tape were placed over mand/max, my mind immediately replaid the jail video of KC clenching her fists in rage!!! I could see her blowing up at Caylee, ragefully ripping the duct tape and forcing it over her mouth...because she was in a rage she did it over and over again! I am sorry for sharing my haunting thoughts, I am so sick over this!!!
I wish they would have found benzos in her system, at least I would find peace that she may not have known that her mother is a monster!!!

This is exactly what I think happened. I can think of a scene from a movie (can't remember which movie) but the "bad guy" kidnapped someone and when he put the tape over the mouth it was done in a rage. He kept tearing off more and more pieces (3-4) to shut the person up.

 

[Jolynna]

I believe this is why the DP is back on the table. The duct tape was applied before death. IOW, caylee had an awfully cruel demise at the hands of her killer.

Clearly it isn't accidental. (drowning theory just flew out the window, as did overheating in a car)

Exactly.

Caylee was not drugged before she died. KC used multiple layers of duct tape to keep her quiet.

Which does rule out an accident. A big blow to KC's defense. And the reason George and Cindy fought the release of the autopsy reports.

IMO

 

[MAMABEAR]

All they had to work with was hair and bone. Toxicology testing on hair and bone can only show or rule out long term exposure to drugs or volatiles. For example the hair could tell if she was exposed to chloroform heavily for several months, but it could not tell you if it was simply used near the time of death. Those tox results would have to come from soft tissue, of which there was none to test.

Chloroform was googled for CA/GA.

 

[rltychick]

Dr Baden on Foxnews right now "spinning" the autopsy results

 

[JWG]

Chloroform was in apparently unusually high concentration.

 

[nursebeeme]

The presence of chloroform was found in the car and there were searches for chloroform. They found no evidence of it in examination of Caylee.

I am more curious then ever as to what the presence of in the car means????

is chloraform a "volatile"? I believe the report said they had no way of knowing if she had been exposed to a volatile prior to death...

 

[Amster]

Dr Baden on Foxnews right now "spinning" the autopsy results

Fox should have to reveal Badens bias.....really, really makes me mad!!!!! :furious:

 

[Macushla]

On page 9 of the third part of the autopsy report released (handwritten page #6459) it states that "remnants of light colored fabric were noted on the anterior aspect of the right scapula and the proximal anterior aspect of the right humerus." Does this suggest she was clothed when she was put there or might this fabric come from the Winnie the Pooh blanket? What do you all think?

 

[Hell's Belle]

Sorry, I disagree. A body does start to decompose, and after a few days the fluids will start to leak out, but the outer skin is still in tact. The leakage could have been noted, the smell getting worse and the pieces of tape put over the nose and mouth to stop those orafices from leaking fluid when the body was lying down.

Decomposition with regard to the tape was only refering to the skin tissue and that was determined because the tape held the mandible in place.

The report doesn't say, "before the slightest stage of decomposition".

You have to take it in the context with which it is written and logically conclude from the REASON it was mentioned, i.e. because the facial bones were not disarticulated or scattered.

I guess I'm not sure how to interpret the phrase "clearly placed prior to decomposition." I'm assuming the word "any" before the word decomp, you are assuming the word "much" before the word decomp. Both are reasonable assumptions, although I like mine better. From the sentence structure I don't know if that was the ME's conclusion based on the mandible being in place, or from some other reason. I would expect the sentence to be phrased differently if so. But I may be reading too much into this.

 

[nursebeeme]

http://www.babylon.com/definition/chloroform/English

yup... chloroform is a volatile... leaves prosecution room for that argument for sure!

 

[impatientredhead]

Thanks, nursebeeme.

Just trying be objective.

I could also imagine that it did cover the nose and the report still not be explicit about it (e.g. cover the ethmoid bone as you so kindly pointed out). For example, if placed over the lower portion of the nose (e.g. nostrils) with the soft tissue in place...owing to the amount of soft-tissue that makes up the nose structure...by the time decomposition occurred there would be some 'slack' in the tape such that it doesn't cover the ethmoid bone...tape kinda drooping IYKWIM. It seems that it would depends on the exact attachment points, IMHO.

I agree with this. A conclusion about whether it covered the nose cannot be made from this data. The report even states that the skull with tape attached was received with the mandible in its approximately correct anatomical position. The tape may have covered the ethmoid and slipped or it may have not been that high. Inconclusive.

 

[Cara's Mom]

I read the report as my little girl was sitting next to me and I'm looking over at her and thinking, 'How could this have been done to a little girl?" I wish I hadn't of read it. I was in a grumpy mood to begin with, this hasn't helped.

 

[Mackenzie]

I'm sick over this. What a monster KC is! I think her wild partying after murdering poor Caylee was done because she knew she would be caught and she was trying to get in as much "fun" as she could. Maybe getting high and drunk helped block the horrible memory of Caylee dying? :furious:

RIP sweet Caylee

 

[impatientredhead]

I guess I'm not sure how to interpret the phrase "clearly placed prior to decomposition." I'm assuming the word "any" before the word decomp, you are assuming the word "much" before the word decomp. Both are reasonable assumptions, although I like mine better. From the sentence structure I don't know if that was the ME's conclusion based on the mandible being in place, or from some other reason. I would expect the sentence to be phrased differently if so. But I may be reading too much into this.

We need to find the ME definition of decomposition. This is a scientific report. Decomposition means something specific when read by fellow professionals. It is not subjectively defined by each reader as to when decomp begins or what the author meant.

 

[Jolynna]

I have always thought the duct tape around the mouth wasn't a staged act. Now that we know there were multiple layers I'm more positive that it was not. One thing we know about KC is that she is lazy. If she were staging this she would have just ripped of a piece and stuck it on. She alone did this, and in the simplest form possible. I can't wait for trial.

I agree.

In two weeks a child's body could be only bones in Florida. Caylee was leaking fluid before being disposed of at Suburban.

Does anyone think Casey would look at let alone touch a body that was leaking fluids?

I think Casey stuck Caylee in a bag as soon as possible. So she would not have to look at what she had done. She barely let her parents say Caylee's name in the jail videos.

JMO

 

[nursebeeme]

agree... with the nose thing... that we don't know.

ETA: and because we don't know... it most likely won't be an argument in the trial

 

[CentralFLMama]

Did we ever find out the date for the chloroform searches? Maybe someone was looking it up as a cleaning agent - to get rid of the stench in the car .. that would explain the high concentration of it.
Or, its possible that the chloroform was a cleaning agent and the google searches were unrelated and she looked it up when she saw it on the MySpace/Facebook page.

 

[JWG]

Looks like KC may have tried to clean the mess!!!