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Have Divers Found Caylee Anthony? [UPDATE: No, They Haven't.]

By Steve Huff in homicide, missing persons, unsolved
Thursday, Nov. 13 2008 @ 3:21PM

***UPDATE, 12/11/08*** Go here for a post about the newest find, made the morning of December 11, 2008.

findingcaylee.jpgLooks like Leonard Padilla may have stepped in it, this time. The bounty hunter has a long history of proactively seeking attention related to various high-profile crime stories in the news, and much of the time, Padilla has been basically trying to do the right thing. But the supposed "find" of bones in a bag today (see original post, below) during the search for Caylee Anthony may have put Padilla in the doghouse with the media.

And with the cops.

In spite of Padilla's insistence that a shamrock was found with the bones and toys and the fact that shamrocks are important symbols to Caylee's mother Casey, the Orange County Sheriff has stated that the bones and toys were simply not related to the case at all. And they spanked Padilla and cast suspicion on his connection to the find. From the Orlando Sentinel:

"'Law-enforcement should have been the first to be called and not the media,' sheriff's office spokesman Capt. Angelo Nieves said. Nieves asked Padilla to take a lie detector test and Padilla agreed."

Orange County authorities will likely ask Padilla if he planted the bag, since that seems like the first, most obvious question.

According to the Sentinel, Tim Miller was also irritated with Padilla. Miller, who heads Texas Equusearch, has worked hard to maintain his group's reputation. The Orlando paper reports that Miller "was aggravated with Padilla's efforts and called them a media stunt."

I had a feeling this story was too good to be true, and was careful with how I worded the original post below. It just seemed too damned easy. Turns out my cynicism was merited this time.

I hate it when that happens.

Original Post

Will a bag of bones put the final nails in Casey Anthony's coffin? [...]

Divers in the Little Eonlockhatchee River in Orlando, Florida have found a plastic bag filled with bones and toys. The bag was reportedly weighed down with bricks.

Bounty Hunter Leonard Padilla, quoted by WESH TV, said that a shamrock was found in the bag. According to Padilla, the shamrock is one of Casey Anthony's favorite symbols.

Reached by WESH for comment about this discovery, Cindy Anthony said, "Until I see someone comes to us with concrete evidence that this is Caylee, it's just another rollercoaster ride." Anthony said that the report about the shamrock "could just be another one of Leonard's antics."

Padilla added to his "antics" by telling the media that Casey has a shamrock tattoo and she had a shamrock sticker on the vehicle she was driving when Caylee disappeared in June, 2008. Some of the many photos released in the Anthony investigation have shown Casey wearing a shamrock necklace and Casey's shamrock tattoo.

According to a report on CNN, the river where the bag was found today is just a few miles from the home Casey Anthony shared with her mother Cindy and father, George Anthony.

Reached by CNN for a quote, the Orange County Sheriff's public information officer, Carlos Padilla (presumably no relation to Leonard) said that "nothing of evidentiary value was found" during the dive today. So as usual with the Anthony case, absolutely nothing is straightforward about this development, either.

This post will be updated and revised. [msnbc.com]