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'Credible' Tipster Questioned In Missing Girl Mystery; Mom's Release Conditions Change

$225,000 Reward Offered In Case

POSTED: 6:18 pm EDT July 23, 2008
UPDATED: 6:33 am EDT July 24, 2008

A woman who believes she recently spoke with a missing Orlando 2-year-old has been contacted by investigators and a composite sketch of the child's traveling companion was created.


IMAGES: Missing Girl, Mother Images

A national search is under way for Caylee Anthony, 2, despite questions about whether she is still alive.

Attorney Jose Baez said the girl was spotted on July 2 during a national interview.

"One of the things that seemed very encouraging was they asked her for her name and she answered her name," family attorney Jose Baez said. "The way she answered her name is exactly as the family knows she answers her name by using both her first, middle and last name and the way she pronounces her last name."

Hundreds of tips have been called in to police since the girl was reported missing last week, but Baez said the latest is encouraging for the family.

Orange County deputies said they only plan to release the sketch if they believe the tip is credible, Local 6's Jessica D'Onofrio reported Wednesday night.

$225,000 Reward Offered

Meanwhile, a $225,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the return of a missing Orlando 2-year-old girl.

About $200,000 of the reward is from Skyview Aviation and Exotic Car Rental and the remaining money is from the Never Lose Hope foundation.

Bond Conditions Change

Also, a judge set a $500,000 bond for Caylee's mother, Casey Anthony, 22, after hearing testimony in the case Tuesday.

But Local 6 reported that a judge changed Anthony's bond release order Wednesday.

She's been ordered to home confinement with an electronic monitoring device but no longer a GPS bracelet.

A bondsman said the change raises the risk but also gives Anthony the freedom to roam, Local 6 reported.

The Anthony family is trying to negotiate a payment plan for their share of the bond.

Possible Connection Between Car, Yard

Investigators said similar human decomposition smells found in a yard and a car during a search for a missing Orlando girl indicate the source may have been moved.

Last week, cadaver dogs searched the Orange County back yard of Cindy and George Anthony for signs of their missing granddaughter, who was not reported missing for five weeks.

During the search, cadaver dogs found the smell of human decomposition in the yard, Local 6 learned.

The dogs also hit on the same smell in the trunk of the car the Casey Anthony had been driving, police said.

"We had two different dogs from two different counties that hit on the same exact spot," Orange County sheriff's investigator Carlos Padilla said.

The sheriff's office believes it is possible that whatever produced the decomposition smell could have been in the back yard and then moved to the car, Bolden reported.

"Could it have been a body or could it have been clothes?" Padilla asked. "Again, that is something that has to be investigated."

The investigation includes processing other items found in Anthony's car.

"Because they found hair samples in the trunk of the car that are similar in color and length to that of Caylee and they also found a stain in the trunk that came up under black light that is questionable," Orange County Detective Yuri Melich said. "They also found some dirt inside the car that needs to be processed."

Detectives said they don't have enough evidence to file additional charges against Anthony but it could become a potential homicide investigation.

"Is it something that could later on bring more charges?" Padilla said. "That is a possibility. But right now, we have to process that evidence."

Officers said they still have not ruled out the possibility that Caylee could still be alive.

Anyone with information concerning the whereabouts of Caylee is urged to call Crimeline at 800-423-TIPS.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this developing story.




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