An expert witness was called to the stand by the prosecution in the State v. Casey Anthony trial testified Saturday about the insects found in the trunk of Anthony's car and at the crime scene.
Dr. Neil Haskell's area of expertise is forensic entomology and said there were hundreds of tiny foreign flies that contained larvae, which are commonly found surrounding decomposition, and that the body would have been stored in the vehicle for a few days and in the woods for many months. Maggots were also found by the remains, which were presented to the jury in evidence.
The bugs were also noticed in the trash bags and on the paper towels inside it. The paper towels also included a liquid.
"It was a good possibility that there was larvae because of decomposition fluid," said Haskell. "[It was] a breakdown of fluids found in decomposition."
He explained to the jury that decomposition begins and progresses through several stages as tissues in the body change. He said because of the heat in Florida that year and the progress of decay, the source of the fluid could not have been in there for that long; he estimated 2-4 days.
But because of the certain type of flies found at the crime scene, around the remains, called megaselia scalaris, the body was out there for longer than just a few days. "I have no question that body had been out there for many, many months, based on the recovery," said Haskell. He said he believed it was there since June or July, several months before it was found on Dec. 11, 2008.
Haskell said after 30 years of experience, this was the "most intensive scene of processing I have ever seen."
If found guilty of first-degree murder of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee Anthony, and disposing of the body in the woods, Casey, 25, could face the death penalty.
(Photography by Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/POOL)
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