I never felt GA and/or CA were responsible for Caylee's death. I have always felt that they were responsible for most of the media attention the crime received, and that media attention was significant to the trial outcome. Not the sole reason for how it all turned out, but a significant one.
CA/GA should have acted sooner when Caylee was missing from the home that she had lived in since birth, especially given their comments on how there had never been another time when they had not seen Caylee for days. It seems clear from the family dynamics that time and time again where there were battles between KC and her parents, yet I have never seen anything said about KC taking Caylee with her in the past and being gone for an extended period of time and then returning with the child. So, it's not like GA and/or CA could look at a past experience and assume that this was just another situation where both KC and Caylee would be coming home as soon as KC cooled off.
CA was clearly distraught at the time she wrote about Caylee on her MySpace page. She certainly should have done something by that point, IMO. True, the laws were not going to help her as laws protect the parent's rights above everyone else's, inclucing the minor child. But there's no law against trying!
THe DCF report indicates KC is responsible for Caylee's death through neglect and states the neglect was due to KC's own actions or failure to act. This could cover a number of scenarios, including accident. Accidents happen, but a normal response is for a parent or anyone else present is to TRY to assist the child, perhaps attempt CPR but at the very least call 911. One certainly does not bag up the victim and toss them away after failing to call for help in any kind of accident. KC didn't call for help, and if anyone else was present (which I doubt) they didn't call for help either. But ultimately, safety of the child was KC's responsibility just as much as custody of the child and taking her out of the home was her right.
Had the grandparents acted immediately, they could not have saved Caylee's life. I believe Caylee was gone long before anyone even entertained the thought that there was a problem. However, GA and/or CA should have acted anyway, IMO. Since KC had no money, didn't they even wonder how Caylee was being fed?
Because Caylee's grandparents didn't act, weeks passed before LE became involved. These stellar grandparents who people cry for and feel sorry for because "they have been through so much..." not only did not insist that KC produce their granddaughter, once they did have KC cornered they went on to destroy evidence even before LE arrived and then continued to hinder the investigation at every turn. The main reason there was so much publicity in this case was the 31 days and the behaviors of the grandparents, IMO.
Covering up a crime and destroying evidence is a criminal offense in many states--why isn't it a crime in Florida? Or if it is, why is it not prosecuted? While the grandparents in this case had no legal means for forcing KC to bring Caylee home, no law prohibited them from raising a huge fuss early on. They should have been on LE and DCF daily, even if it every attempt was futile. Had they done this, and had they not destroyed evidence and then lied in court to protect KC, the whole world would be in their corner now because it would have shown they cared about Caylee. Plus, it would have put Caylee's killer behind bars for a very long time.
GA and CA deserve no respect at all. Respect has to be earned. They are not afraid to open their mouths--we all know that--so what would have stopped them from shouting loud and clear that their granddaughter was missing and they wanted to find her?? I am not buying that they did nothing because they had no legal rights to the baby, because no law can prevent a person from acting with moral responsibility.
These grandparents should be charged now with obstruction of justice, destroying evidence of a crime, and perjury even if there is no law that can hold them responsible for neglect.