What a great thread! Lin, I loved your post and so many others.
Like so many other posters, I think KC, although unplanned that particular night, intentionally killed Caylee. She had researched ways of doing it and in a fit of rage decided to execute her plan on June 15th when she and Cindy had their fight. I think she left the night of the 15th around midnight or early on the 16th around 1:00 a.m. as opposed to the next day at 1:00 p.m. Killing Caylee meant she won that battle with her mother. She was also gloating about it when she posted to her MySpace blog (some say in response to CA's July 3rd blog asking "Who is now watching out for the little angel?"): "...What is given can be taken away. Everyone Lies. Everyone Dies." It was KC's triumph over her mother.
As far as how she killed the child, I'm not sure. The duct tape really throws a wrench into the method I think she used. I'm thinking it may have been with chloroform or cleaning fluids; however, post #281 talks about the teeth being detached from the skull, so that has me somewhat confused. I mean, the night she left the house with Caylee, was she prepared with duct tape in the car? I have to think she did that as an afterthought to make it look like an abduction. She did leave her car with her purse in it at Amscot. But if she wanted it to look like an abduction, then the heart makes no sense to me. She told her boyfriend she was out of gas, but nowhere in GA's statements to LE do I ever hear him say he had to put gas in that car when he went to pick it up from the tow yard. Okay, so she was dumping the car and lied to her boyfriend about the gas. Onward.
Then we have KC stealing gas cans from her parents. What in the world is with this girl and gasoline? I suppose she was trying to mask the smell in the trunk of her car or perhaps she was thinking she might burn Caylee's body and get rid of the evidence. I am in agreement that after the incident with GA where she thrusts the "f'n gas cans" at him, that she made the quick decision to get rid of the body so "close to home" and hastily dropped Caylee in the woods on Suburban Drive. Of all the places in Florida to hide a body, I don't know why she would choose this spot unless she was in a hurry. But then again, she knew that some of her high school friends and family members knew about this place. So that is a big question mark for me as to why she left Caylee's body at that particular site.
I definitely think the "Bella Vida" tattoo was for KC herself. She was free of her mother, free of her child and she was living the beautiful life as she saw it.
The searches for escort services I think was KC entertaining the idea of working in that field and making some fast money.
As for stealing from her friend AH, I can't help but think that was a spending frenzy and perhaps she thought, I've already done murder, why not live it up until I'm caught? I think when no one connected the pieces to her abduction plot (abandoned car, her purse on the seat, she's missing and Caylee is missing), she then had time to think up the story about the nanny. Afterall, she had repeatedly told friends during this time that Caylee was with the nanny and it was convenient to stick with it. I still think there is something in her thought process connecting the Sawgrass Apartments with her friend AnnieD who used to watch over Caylee at those same apartments and Zanny the Nanny. A real mystery to me is how she obtained the information about ZFG. LeonardP did have a good idea as to how she may have gotten that information, perhaps outside the apartment she overhears ZFG called by name and then notices her New York license plate.
Something else I found interesting was the fact that although they at first had the date Caylee was missing wrong (June 9th), KC knew exactly how many days it had been since she had seen her daughter alive (31 days), which would have made the missing date June 15th-16th.
I can't help but have compassion for CA, but I also can't help but believe KC is the way she is because of her mother. CA wanted her to be responsible and a devoted mother to Caylee, but yet she stepped in as the mother when she should have been stepping back and allowing KC to be the mother. I realize that CA probably thought she was doing the right thing by taking care of Caylee, but in the meantime, her daughter KC is spiraling out of control. What did her mother say to her when KC told her friends she was having a nervous breakdown? Maybe she said, "Oh you are just hormonal and will be fine?" She knew her daughter was lying, stealing and not bonding with her daughter and that's okay? I don't want to put too much blame on CA because I'm sure there was a point that CA didn't have the control over KC that she had in the past and she reached a point of no return with KC. I will say, in my opinion, constantly berating someone as CA did to KC is not the way to encourage someone to do better. KC simply lived up to her mother's assessment of her. I also find it hard to believe that CA didn't know KC wasn't working for over two years and also didn't know who was caring for her grandchild during that time. Well, I believe it, I'm just mystified by it.
The relationship between KC and CA is very strange. Here is KC, the day before the memorial for Caylee, taking barbs at her family and how they went against her wishes. Then you have CA at the memorial saying things that she surely knows will get under KC's skin. "The moment the doctor put Caylee in my arms..." and the part about her three children, etc. I mean, if you know it bothers your daughter, why do it? I am in no way in KC's camp, but to me, that was a cruel thing for CA to do her and tells me volumes about CA.
I am no expert in mental health, but I don't think KC is mentally ill and insanity will not fly as a defense. I do think she has a boderline personality disorder, but I'll let the experts expound in that area.
Lee is an enigma. First he seems to be completely cooperating with LE and then he's sending cryptic messages through a memorial service for crying out loud. Was there anything in his messages that couldn't have had the appropriate name attached? Drama, drama, drama. This family must thrive on it. I do think that LA worked very hard to find a ZFG, her sisters, and all the fictional people that his sister invented in this bizarre case. At some point I do think he reached the end of the pier and realized the obvious. I kind of think he might be disgusted for what his sister put his parents through, not to mention the many other organizations that were involved with this case, but KC is his sister. He knows she has problems and is very troubled, but she is family so he will support her. Frankly, if I were Lee, I would try to salvage what part of my life I could and move to another part of the country. I'm not saying to cut all ties with his family, but just try to make some sort of life for yourself.
LeonardP...well, the man has come up with some interesting possibilities, but he has also been proven wrong on so many things. I just wish he would not state things as if they were FACT. He is a likeable guy and makes for good TV, but I take most of what he says with a grain a salt.
George, my heart really goes out to him. No really, it does. Yes, he knew something was bad wrong when he picked up the car from the tow yard. Frankly, coupled with the smell in the car and with Caylee missing once KC was found, he had to know the horrible truth. He kept up the "missing child" facade for CA. I think when he went to the hotel in Daytona he was so very tired of all the lies that he truly just wanted to get away and sort it all out. I was very happy to hear that he got involved with the Haleigh Cummings case. I would not be so happy if it were CA involved with missing children, but I think GA would and could be a comfort to someone in that unfortunate situation.
We'll never know the truth about Caylee's death. I can see KC possibly pleading to an accidental death, but as for the truth? Nah, no way. Besides, how would we know what the truth is coming from KC?
Marc, keep telling it like it is!
Sue
