ORLANDO, Fla. – Prosecutors on Friday released thousands of pages of discovery documents, including hundreds of letters addressed to Casey Anthony, who is charged with murder in the death of her daughter, Caylee.
Included in the document release was information from a forensic etymologist. According to the release, the state has spent more than $20,000 on forensic entomology -- the study of insects.
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"In more than 800 cases over a 25 year period this case generated the highest number of samples," the entomologist wrote.
The samples are mostly taken from the evidence recovered at the scene where Caylee's body was found in Orange County.
Entomological evidence could help the prosecution prove how long Caylee's body was in the woods, which could be used to help prove who put her there.
Also among the 5,000 pages of documents released by the state attorney's office were handwritten and typed letters of love, lust, support, suggestions and criticism sent to Anthony, Caylee's mother, from people from all over the country, including inmates and her family.
One letter from a company called Formed Fiber Techonologies says that chloroform is not used in the manufacturing of any of its products, including the trunk liners it made for Pontiac Sunfires. That information is significant becuase that's the model car Anthony left behind shortly after Caylee was last seen. When the car was recovered and analyzed, traces of chloroform were found in the trunk.
In March 2009, Anthony's father, George Anthony, penned a letter to his daughter, begging to visit her in jail.
"It has been too long to not hear your voice call me 'Papa Joe/Dad.' I need to hear that from you no matter what. Please let Papa Joe come to visit. You are the boss. You can make it happen. So what if the media gets some of it. It will be just you and I -- and the conversation is under your control," George Anthony wrote.
In a letter from 31-year-old Julie Reynolds, of Lexington, Ky., she told Anthony that she is "beautiful -- and I support you 100 percent."
In another letter, a man named John Smith, of Orlando, encouraged Anthony to accept a plea deal, saying the details in her case proves it was "premeditated murder."
In letters to Anthony, people wrote about their experiences with depression, jail, relationships and religion. Many wrote multiple times with intimate detail of their lives.
Some asked for photos. Others sent childish drawings and smiley faces. One woman sprayed her letter with perfume. More than one man offered to "wipe the tears" off Anthony's cheeks.
The missives underscore just how notorious Anthony has become. The case -- chock full of photos of Anthony partying in Orlando-area clubs and adorable pictures of her daughter -- is a staple on cable TV talk shows.
Anthony, 24, is jailed on first-degree murder charges in Caylee's death. The toddler's remains were found in December 2008. Caylee was 2 years old when she was reported missing about five months earlier.
Anthony has pleaded not guilty, claiming that she left Caylee with a baby sitter and the two were gone when she returned to pick up her daughter.
Men and women made passes at Anthony in the letters, referring to her as "sexy" and "princess" and "juicy." Some popped the ultimate question.
"MARRY ME CASEY MARIE. MARRY ME. I will do whatever you need me to do to show you I'm real," read a message signed by Alfred Rego of Dartmouth, Mass.
Some even passed along a photo.
"I think I'm one hot single dad. Don't you?" asked a letter signed by Rob Crespo of Melbourne, Fla.
A letter signed by Carol Grant of Utah was one of the few that did not support Anthony.
The message read, "YOU ARE A MONSTER. I hope you rot in hell!!"
Most were kind, though.
"The gay community is truly with you," read a letter signed by Kamari Lewis in Orlando, Fla.
Mailroom staff open and inspect all mail for contraband, Orange County jail spokesman James Merkison said. He could not say if Anthony read the letters or wrote back because it's an ongoing case.
The prosecutor's office declined to say if any letters were withheld from the batch released Friday.
Dr. Lois Nightingale, a clinical psychologist in Yorba Linda, Ca., said that people could be writing to Anthony for a variety of reasons.
"Does she represent the cold, withholding mother that they are trying to get approval from, or does she represent the damsel in distress, that if they save her, she will appreciate them and never leave them forever? Or does she represent a misunderstood person?" Nightingale said.
Because Anthony has said little publicly, people can project all sorts of character traits on her, Nightingale said. Sometimes, people who write to inmates also perceive a sense of power if they befriend, or fall in love, with that inmate.
"You're really important if you have found a way to tame or calm down this person who is really dangerous to other people," Nightingale said.
Some, like John Anderson -- a man serving 10 years behind bars in Michigan -- had an admittedly difficult time articulating why they put pen to paper.
Wrote Anderson: "I feel good writing you; why, I have no idea."
Anthony's trial is scheduled to begin in May 2011.
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