Judge's Staff Releases Caylee Anthony Autopsy Report, But No Photos

Orlando Sentinel- Authorities were investigating for a brief time this afternoon whether autopsy photos of Caylee Marie Anthony were released today to a member of the public in violation of state law.

They were not released.

State Attorney's Office spokesman Randy Means expressed concern earlier today that two autopsy photos could have been accidentally released to a legal analyst for WFTV Channel 9, which was the first station to get the autopsy report of the slain 2-year-old from east Orange County.

Legal analyst Bill Shaeffer told the Orlando Sentinel the copy he received from the judge's office did not contain any autopsy photos. That copy was released about 30 minutes prior the release from the State Attorney's Office.

A judge today said the report should be released, despite complaints from Caylee's grandparents, because it is a public record under state law.

However, an exemption to the law specifically prohibits the release of autopsy photos.

After the judge's ruling, Shaeffer, a legal analyst for Channel 9, received a copy of the autopsy report from a person in Circuit Court Judge Stan Strickland's office, Means said.

The report he picked up may have included two autopsy photos, Means said. Shaeffer said the photos were not included in the report he received.

Other media outlets, including the Orlando Sentinel, obtained photo-less copies of the autopsy report from the State Attorney's Office.

Photos are not public in Florida under a law named after racing legend Dale Earnhardt, who died in 2001 during a crash at the Daytona 500.

Concerns about the possibility of Earnhardt's photos becoming public prompted Florida lawmakers to quickly pass the exemption.

Under the law, it is a felony for people to look at or copy autopsy photos and videos unless they can persuade a judge to let them do so.


Here are the links to the autopsy:
http://www.wftv.com/pdf/19801498/detail.html
http://www.wftv.com/pdf/19801734/detail.html
http://www.wftv.com/pdf/19801861/detail.html
http://www.wftv.com/pdf/19801867/detail.html