ORLANDO, Fla. – The state?s first expert of day 16 of Casey Anthony?s murder trial was a forensic entomology expert.
Dr. Neal Haskell is a professor of forensic science with a forensic entomology doctorate.
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Haskell said he was contacted by Michael Vincent of the Orange County Sheriff?s Office in September 2008 regarding entomological evidence in the Anthony case.
Vincent collected samples from the trash bag found in the trunk of Anthony?s car and sent them to Haskell to confirm they were forensically important.
Haskell said he found foreign flies and larvae that are commonly found in cases of human or animal decomposition. He has called them ?coffin flies? in the past.
?We found a number of adults, 15 or 20 adults,? Haskell said.
Haskell said an abundance of larvae and a few adult flies were found in paper towels from the trash bag, leading him to conclude that the paper towel had been used to wipe decompositional fluids.
Haskell said the entomological evidence found in the trunk indicated that a body of a child been in the trunk of Anthony's car and removed within days.
"At the time of death, decomposition begins and it progresses through stages ... there's a progression as the tissues of the body go from one biochemical and change to another, to another and to another through the whole progression of decomposition," Haskell said. "The interesting thing about this, and the insects, is that associated with these different biochemicals and the changes of the biochemicals of the body decomposing, we have different insects coming in and feeding at that particular time."
Haskell said Blow Flies are usually the first insects to arrive at a decomposing body, but as the body decomposes and the biochemistry changes, Blow Flies are no longer interested and other groups of bugs move in. He said he found a Blow Fly leg in a paper towel from the garbage.
The bag of trash was recovered from an Orange County tow yard where Anthony's car was stored for two weeks before it was picked up by her parents on July 15, 2008. The bag was removed from the trunk of the Pontiac Sunfire when her father retrieved the car.
The smell of human decomposition in the car prompted her mother, Cindy Anthony, to call 911 and report Caylee missing that same day. She later attributed the odor to the garbage in the trunk.
Haskell said he came to Orlando on Dec. 16, 2008, five days after Caylee's remains were found, to examine the car himself.
He said the fact that there was not much evidence of blow flies in the wooded area where Caylee's remains were found off Suburban Drive indicates that her body was not placed there immediately, but the entomological evidence suggests that she was placed there within three to four days after her death, based on the species of insects found.
In opening statements, the defense claimed that Caylee drowned on June 16, 2008, and her remains were somehow obtained by Roy Kronk, the man who found her remains in December, and placed in the woods months later in an effort to obtain reward money. Haskell's testimony conflicts with that theory.
"I have no question that that body had been out there for many, many months," Haskell said. "Based on the recovery from the scene, I believe I stated June or early July, something like that."
Haskell said the entomological evidence indicates Caylee's body was placed in the woods in the early stages of decomposition.
During cross-examination, lead defense attorney Jose Baez asked Haskell about his professional relationship with Dr. Arpad Vass, a forensic anthropologist who specializes is human decomposition. Vass testified previously in the trial. He and Haskell previously worked together at the "body farm," a place to study decomposing bodies under different environmental factors.
Baez pointed out that Haskell was not sent entomological evidence until September, even though it was collected in July. Haskell said had he received it earlier, he potentially could have determined the post-mortem interval within a couple of days.
Baez also noted that the flies could be associated with food decomposition, but during re-direct, Haskell testified that there was no decomposing food in the trash bag and the flies were found primarily on the paper towel, which he believes was used to clean up decomposition fluids.
Two Orange County Sheriff's Office CSI techs were called at the end of the day Thursday: Vincent, who has testified previously, and Robin Maynard.
Vincent confirmed that he saw bugs in a bag taken from the scene where Caylee's remains were recovered.
Maynard was also involved in the recovery of Caylee's remains. She said she was in charge of documenting bug evidence found at the scene.
Crime scene investigator Jennifer Welch was called after Haskell Saturday morning. She was responsible for photographing evidence as it was found and collected at the scene off Suburban Drive where Caylee's remains were found.
She said the dense area of vegetation was examined and searched for 10 days.
Prosecutor Linda Drane Burdick presented Welch with several pieces of evidence collected at the scene, including a piece of duct tape and lettering from a child's T-shirt.
Baez asked Welch to help him demonstrate how far away from the road Caylee's skull was found.
OSCO forensic supervisor Ronald Murdock was then called. He showed an overview of the scene where Caylee's remains were found.
The state showed Murdock photos of heart-shaped stickers found in the Anthony family home.
An FBI analyst has said she saw evidence of heart-shaped sticker residue on the piece of duct tape found attached to Caylee's skull, but it was never photographed.
The state linked several pieces of evidence found in the Anthony family home to the scene where Caylee's remains were found. The state had Murdock display a canvas laundry bad found in the home, as well as photographs of the same brand and style bag found at the scene.
During cross-examination, Baez asked Murdock if he located duct tape with the Henkel brand on it in the Anthony family home. Henkel duct tape was found on a gas can in the Anthony family shed and on Caylee's skull, but Murdock said he saw no other examples of the tape in the Anthony home.
The state's final witness on Saturday was Gerald Johnston, the owner of a land surveying firm. OSCO called him to provide a survey and 3-D animation of the scene where Caylee?s remains were found. The animation was shown to jurors.
Anthony, 25, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of her daughter, Caylee, in the summer of 2008. Caylee was 2 years old when she was reported missing in July 2008. Her remains were found in a wooded area near her grandparents' home in December 2008.
The prosecution says Caylee was suffocated after duct tape was placed over her mouth. The defense contends she accidentally drowned in her grandparents' swimming pool.
If found guilty, Anthony could face the death penalty.
Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.