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Deputy Fired For Lying About Sex, Chats With Missing Girl's Mom

Pair Talked About Caylee In Chats

POSTED: Tuesday, August 26, 2008
UPDATED: 9:24 am EDT August 27, 2008

An Orange County sheriff's deputy was terminated for lying about a sexual relationship with the mother of a missing girl in the latest twist in a case continuing to grab the nation's attention.


VIDEO: Casey Released From Jail
IMAGES: Casey Leaves Jail
IMAGES: Caylee Photos | Casey Photos Surface
IMAGES: Items Found By Bloggers

Deputies recently discovered that Deputy Tony Rusciano, 24, was linked to Casey Anthony not long before her daughter was reported missing, Local 6 reported.

When Rusciano was questioned about knowing Casey Anthony, he initially told them that he met her at a party and barely knew her, Local 6's Jessica D'Onofrio said.

Rusciano was terminated on Friday after detectives looked into the relationship. He was fired for lying about it, police said.

Detectives did a forensic search of Anthony's computer and typed some keywords -- which led them to pages of chats between Rusciano and Anthony.

The pair did talk about Anthony's daughter, Caylee, during the chats, D'Onofrio reported.

None of the chats were apparently meaningful in terms of helping detectives find the missing 3-year-old.

Rusciano and Anthony had a sexual relationship, D'Onofrio reported.

Apparently, they were talking to each other around the end of May -- which would be just weeks before Anthony said she last saw her daughter.

D'Onofrio said it was not known if Rusciano ever met or saw Caylee.

If Rusciano would have been forthcoming to deputies about his relationship with Anthony, he likely would not have been fired, D'Onofrio reported.

Anthony Meets With Attorney

Meanwhile, Anthony spent another full day meeting with her attorney, Jose Baez.

Anthony's visit follows the release of hundreds of pages of investigative documents.

Baez told Local 6 News that he tried to prevent the documents from being publicly released, which is standard procedure under Florida's public records law.

"I tried to put a stop to it. I made a last-minute motion for an injunction, but it was denied," Baez said.

Among the released documents was a signed statement from Casey Anthony which said she left Caylee with a baby sitter named Zenaida Gonzalez and also stated, "I have lied and stolen from my friends and family to do whatever I could by any means to find my daughter."

Another document said that an employee of Johnson's Wrecker Service, which retrieved Casey Anthony's vehicle from an Orange County Amscot parking lot where it was abandoned, said when Casey Anthony's father, George Anthony, opened the trunk of her car, flies came out and it reeked of a smell that reminded him of when a man committed suicide in a car.

Ryan Pasley, a friend of Casey Anthony's, said in a statement that her mother, Cindy Anthony, told him "basically (Casey) was a sociopath."

When asked how he would combat the seemingly unfavorable statements, Baez said, "How can I say I don't want this case tried in the media if I'm going to tell you what my next move is?"

Casey Anthony was arrested on charges of child neglect and filing a false statement in mid-July, about 31 days after she said she last saw her then 2-year-old daughter, Caylee.

She was released from jail last week when a celebrity bounty hunter helped post her $500,000 bond. Casey Anthony is now on home confinement and is being monitored by an ankle bracelet at her parents' house.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.

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