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The Anthony case introduced new forensic science that has yet to be peer-reviewed. The University of Tennessee's "body farm" discovered "hair banding", a theory still in its early stages of scientific investigation, in which hair roots form a dark band after death. A hair found in the trunk of the Anthony car exhibited this pattern.[45] Air samples were sent to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.[45]
On Friday, October 24, 2008, a forensic report by Dr. Arpad Vass of the ORNL stated that results from an air sampling procedure (called LIBS) performed in the trunk of Casey Anthony's car showed chemical compounds "consistent with a decompositional event" based on the presence of five key chemical compounds out of over 400 possible chemical compounds that Dr. Vass' research group considers typical of decomposition (human decomposition was not specified). Whether or not the decomposition was human is still unknown, but was indicated as a possibility. The process has not been affirmed by a Daubert Test in the courts.[46] Dr. Vass' group also stated there was chloroform in the car trunk. In evidence hearings, Dr. Ken Furton, a professor of chemistry at Florida International University, stated that there is no consensus in the field on what chemicals are typical of human decomposition.[47] DNA samples could not confirm whether the source was alive or dead. The only DNA testing by the FBI was limited to 752 base pairs out of 16,569 base pairs (less than 5% of the mitochondrial genome sequence).
Evidence was found that someone had searched the Internet on the Anthony family computer for the use of chloroform and how to make it.[48][49][50][51] On November 26, 2008, officials released 700 pages of documents related to the Anthony investigation, which included evidence of Google searches of the terms "neck breaking", "how to make chloroform", and "death" on Anthonys' home computer.[48]
Investigators also entered into the body of evidence a photo from the computer of Ricardo Morales, an ex-boyfriend of Casey Anthony, which depicts a "joke" in which a man is using a chloroform-soaked rag to drug a woman.[52]
On February 18, 2009, documents released by the State Attorney's Office in Florida indicated that the same type of laundry bag, duct tape, and plastic bags discovered at the crime scene were found in the house where Casey and Caylee resided. Heart-shaped stickers were also recovered by investigators.[53] According to an FBI laboratory email, a heart-shaped outline was originally seen on the duct tape that was recovered from the mouth area of Caylee's skull,[53] but the laboratory was not able to capture the heart shape photographically and could no longer see it after the duct tape was dusted for fingerprint processing.
The documents also indicate that Cindy Anthony stated to them that a Winnie the Pooh blanket was missing from Caylee's bed. This type of blanket was found at the crime scene.[54] A "June 21" entry from Casey Anthony's diary was also released in which she expressed having "no regrets" and wrote "This is the happiest that I have been in a very long time."[55] A member of Casey Anthony's defense team, spokeswoman Marti MacKenzie, contended that this entry was written in 2003 prior to Caylee's birth, citing various evidence. The prosecution acknowledged that it did not know when the entry was made.[56] An FBI report released in 2011 stated that the diary in question was not on the market until 2004. Lead attorney Jose Baez called the evidence ?completely speculative" [57] and filed a motion to excluded it from evidence, whicih the judge denied.[58]
A "June 21" entry from Casey Anthony's diary was also released in which she expressed having "no regrets" and wrote "This is the happiest that I have been in a very long time."[59] A member of Casey Anthony's defense team, spokeswoman Marti MacKenzie, contended that this entry was written in 2003 prior to Caylee's birth, citing various evidence. The prosecution acknowledged that it did not know when the entry was made.[60] An FBI report released in 2011 stated that the diary in question was not on the market until 2004. Jose Baez called the evidence ?completely speculative" [61] and filed a motion to excluded it from evidence, which the judge denied.[62]
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