I think it's clear that the duct tape was not meant to come off. There are 2 possible explanations for that: (1) it was placed before death with the intent that it would never have to be removed, and thus was likely the murder weapon, or (2) it was placed after death to, as some have suggested, halt decomp fluids.
I think option #2 is questionable. I believe the duct tape could have been placed securely immediately after death, before decomp really got started, but to me "duct tape my baby's face with industrial strength duct tape" makes no sense as a response to the "oh my god I have to stop these fluids" panic.
REASON #1: Easiest way to stop fluids? Dump the body. "Stop the fluids" is a strange intermediate goal.
REASON #2: What are you looking for in that "stop the fluids" panic? Something strong (why?? to prevent the dead person from struggling??)--or something leak-proof? We already know perfectly well what Casey thinks of when she's looking for something leak-proof: 2 garbage bags and a lined laundry hamper. And in fact, she did find and use those things within a short period of time after Caylee's death. Did it really not occur to her to use plastic bags to contain fluids until AFTER it occurred to her to use duct tape, a tool that is not normally associated with fluid-containing tasks and thus would not spring to mind? And if for some reason Casey initially believed she only needed to contain the fluids from the head area, why not just put a plastic bag over the head? With duct tape around the bottom if she was really worried? Sure, it would look horrible, but not as horrible as several pieces of duct tape across her baby's face. And it's a lot less trouble, which Casey would appreciate.
REASON #3: The placement of the tape. If I were trying to contain decomp fluids from someone's face (I know I know), I would lay one piece over the eyes (could have been Q104, found at the scene), one over the nose (Q62?) and ears, one over the mouth (Q64?)...but what's the point of the diagonal piece (Q63)? Diagonal duct tape going under the chin might keep someone's jaw closed so they don't try to chew off the mouth duct tape, but wouldn't help stop any additional decomp fluids. So my guess is that it was one piece over the nose (Q62), one over the mouth (Q64), one diagonally and partly under the chin (Q63), and one to restrain the hands (Q104). Which indicates a live victim.
JWG's theory of the chloroform on the blanket has the ring of "truthiness" to me, though. Can anyone provide a good narrative to reconcile it with duct tape as the murder weapon?
If this were a superhero comic, I would be saying "Curses AZ, and your damned logic!":takeabow:
I admit I cannot fully reconcile the duct tape, and I often smack myself :doh: for backing the idea it was to stem decomp. In any accidental death scenario, the only reason I can offer as to why the duct tape was used happens to be to stem decomposition.
But then, a keep-it-simple scenario almost demands that the tape be applied in the garage.
So either the murder took place in the garage, or the tape was applied post-mortem in the garage. Here's why.
We know from George and Cindy's depositions that the following items were kept in the garage:
- Garbage bags
- The laundry bag found with Caylee
- The duct tape
We also know from neighbor Burner's interview he saw KC backed into her garage June 17, 18, and 19. A reasonable conclusion is that she was doing something in the garage.
- If KC applied the duct tape in the house, she would have had to go into the garage, take the tape, go into the house and tear or cut four strips, apply them and wait for Caylee to die, and then calmly return the tape where it belonged.
- If KC applied the duct tape away from the house, she would have had to go into the garage, take the tape and put it in her car, drive somewhere, tear or cut four strips, apply them and wait for Caylee to die, put the tape back into the car, and then next time she was home calmly return the tape where it belonged.
- If KC applied the duct tape in the garage, she would take it off the shellf, tear or cut four strips, apply them, and then calmly return the tape where it belonged.
Which seems simpler? :waitasec: Take into that context the fact a kitchen knife was left in the car, as was Mama and one of KC's bags. I'm left with the distinct impression that
if KC was not in the garage when she borrowed the tape, it would never have been returned to the garage. :snooty:
There is another possible scenario for applying the duct tape that occurred to me, and it is not for the faint of heart. :sick:
In 1998, an Arkansas man and his cousin left their two small daughters locked in a car as they looked for arrowheads and mushrooms just 90 feet or so away from the vehicle. The girls were in the car eight hours as temperatures climbed to the 80's. They died of heat exhaustion and dehydration. The point of mentioning that is not to enter into a discussion about the two men (turned out at least one of the men may have been high on meth). I mentioned this to point out that one of the girls was found with clumps of her hair in her fist. She had torn her hair out. The girl was 16 months old. :shakehead:
Now suppose a somewhat older Caylee is in her mother's trunk and manages to survive the drug-induced sleep her mother left her. She awakens around 9:00 AM on the 17th, and the trunk is just starting to broil like an oven.
Her screams, muffled by the trunk and weakened by her condition, go unnoticed by the infrequent pedestrian traffic at the apartments. It takes only an hour - or less - for her to die. But during that time she
pulled at her hair and clawed at her face. :cry:
When Casey found her lifeless body later that morning, she was horrified at what Caylee had done to her own face. Back at the Anthony home, Casey's remedy was to apply duct tape to cover the self-inflicted injuries, adding a little heart sticker as a psychopathic touch of love. :silenced: After all, the important thing is not that the child is dead, it is that we cover her flaws.
OK, now that I've really gone out there,
oke: carry on.
