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DNA in bones matches Caylee’s

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Orlando Sentinel

Exactly how Caylee Marie Anthony died may remain a mystery. But the medical examiner in Orange County, Fla., is confident the toddler was a homicide victim.

On Friday, Dr. Jan Garavaglia confirmed that the remains found Dec. 11 blocks from Caylee’s home belong to the 2-year-old who disappeared in June and was reported missing in July.

Garavaglia said that the FBI forensic lab in Virginia matched DNA from the bones to Caylee but that the skeleton gave no hint of what killed her.

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Caylee’s mother, Casey Anthony, 22, learned about the identification in jail, where she is awaiting trial on a first-degree murder charge in her daughter’s death.

Investigators found traces of chloroform in Anthony’s Pontiac Sunfire, which was abandoned. The car had a pungent odor when Anthony’s parents retrieved it from a junkyard.

Recently released court documents showed that months before Caylee disappeared, someone had searched the phrases “neck breaking,” “household weapons” and “shovel” on the family computer. Someone also searched for “death,” “chloroform” and “inhalation.”

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