Bail Set at $500,000 for Mom of Missing Toddler

By Pamela Mortimer

Casey Anthony, 22, may not be able to post the bond required to get her out of jail as she had hoped. The Florida woman has been held in an Orange County, Florida jail since last week in reference to the disappearance of her daughter, 2 year old Caylee. The half million dollar bail wasn’t much of a surprise after detectives named Anthony as a "person of interest" in her daughter’s disappearance.

During the bail hearing, Orange County Detective Yuri Melich testified that Anthony had become a "person of interest" in her daughter's disappearance and that "evidence of human decomposition" was discovered in the trunk of Anthony’s car. Also found in the trunk were samples of dirt and strands of hair similar to Caylee’s. Melich also said that "the odor of decomposition" was detected inside the trunk.

"The smell I smelled was that of decomposition," Melich said.

When asked if Anthony was a suspect, Melich said he'd classify her as a "person of interest."

Melich’s testimony also revealed that one of the witnesses interviewed recalled seeing bruises on the little girl’s body as well as a mark under her eye. The witness was not aware that Melich was in possession of a photo showing similar injuries.

During cross examination, Melich said that there is no current evidence that Anthony took part in Caylee’s disappearance.

Last week, a neighbor told police that Anthony had asked to borrow a shovel around the time of Caylee’s disappearance. As a result, investigators used cadaver dogs to search the yard belonging to Anthony’s parents. No body was uncovered.

Detectives claim that the small amount of information Anthony has given to them regarding Caylee’s disappearance has proven to be untrue. Melich said that Anthony has also refused to say anything about her child’s father, whom Anthony claims is dead.

Remaining at her daughter’s side, Cindy Anthony claims her daughter is "a good mom."

"Without a doubt, she is a great mom," Cindy Anthony testified. "You can see it in her eyes. You can see it when they're together. There's nothing but love."

The elder Anthony also said that her daughter has not committed a crime but admitted that Casey had lied to her in the past and "has had trouble keeping jobs."

"Casey's lied to me in the past and when she's lied she's always told me the truth," Cindy Anthony said. "We've gotten to the bottom of the truth when I talk to her and spend time with her."

In reference to the long period of time between Caylee’s disappearance and police involvement, Mrs. Anthony said she had no reason to believe that anything bad had happened to her granddaughter until last week because she'd "spoken to Casey on a daily basis."

Although there are no new leads in the case, law enforcement officials are investigating claims that Anthony received "a mysterious call" from Caylee last Tuesday.