ORLANDO, Fla. — Nine months after a jury cleared Casey Anthony of murder in the death of her 2-year-old daughter Caylee in July 2011, Florida lawmakers passed Caylee’s Law, making it a felony to report false information about a missing child during an investigation.
More than nine years after the bill’s passing, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, which led the investigation of Caylee’s death, and neighboring agencies reported little to no use of the law. Some argue the bill was driven by emotions or politics in response to public outrage over the verdict, but others say the measure increased parental accountability.
Caylee’s Law, which amended one of Florida’s perjury statutes, makes it a third-degree felony to give false information to mislead law enforcement during an investigation about a missing child 16 years or younger.
