Investigator: Finding Caylee Anthony was goal of visit to woods

Sarah Lundy and Bianca Prieto |Sentinel Staff Writers March 26, 2009

Private investigator Jim Hoover said under oath Wednesday that the purpose of
his trip to a wooded area near the Anthony home in November was to look
for the body of Caylee Marie Anthony.

He said private investigator Dominic Casey got a tip that directed them
to the area where the toddler's remains were found a month later.

Hoover described what happened under questioning by attorney John Morgan, who represents Zenaida Gonzalez in her defamation lawsuit against Caylee's mother, Casey Anthony.

No body was found during their search, Hoover said.

Dominic Casey, who worked for Casey Anthony's defense attorney and now
works for the Anthony family, didn't tell Hoover who tipped him off.

Dominic Casey was supposed to be questioned by Morgan on Wednesday but canceled the deposition. It's unclear why.

Casey Anthony is charged with first-degree murder in the death of
2-year-old Caylee, whose remains were found Dec. 11 by an Orange County
meter reader off Suburban Drive.

In the civil case, Gonzalez, 38, of Kissimmee
is suing Anthony for more than $15,000 in damages. She claims she lost
her job and suffered humiliation and public embarrassment after Anthony
told investigators that a baby sitter by the same name took the toddler
last summer.

Hoover, who volunteered his services to the family between August and
January, said he never heard the Anthonys mention the nanny's name.

Here are other details that surfaced from Hoover's deposition:

•ABC News allegedly paid Baez about $200,000 for Anthony family home videos.

•Dominic Casey asked Hoover to accompany him to the wooded area in
November to search for Caylee. "[He] asked me to go with him — asked me
to go with him to find Caylee's body," Hoover said.

•Hoover doesn't know who tipped Dominic Casey off about the wooded
area. He guessed it may have come from a family member but warned he
was only speculating.

•Hoover doesn't believe all the stories Dominic Casey told him,
including an alleged inappropriate moment between Casey Anthony and
Baez at the jail.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/caylee-anthony/orl-loc-casey-civil-032609,0,547485.story