Scientology has had a horrendous October.

They were convicted of fraud in France and both the St. Petersburg Times and ABC’s Nightline had very damaging reports from ex members who have spoken out.

A multitude of lawsuits are moving forward and the media continues to be a thorn in Scientology’s side.

One of Scientology’s long time members, celebrity Paul Haggis has recently flown the coop and has spoken out. Also many members, and high level “OT’s” have left the cult.

Two new books by ex members have just been published.

Marc Headley wrote “Blown For Good, Behind Scientology’s Iron Curtain” and Nancy Many has written, “My Billion Year Contract“. Kudos to them!

Both Books Available On Amazon.com

Well, November isn’t looking any better for Scientology.

Just yesterday, Australian Senator, Nicholas (Nick) Xenophon has called for a Senate inquiry into Scientology.
 

The Senator presented horrific stories that were sent to him by ex Scientology members, Aaron Saxton, Carmel Underwood, Paul Schofield, Anna and Dean Detheridge and Kevin Mackey. 

Xenophon stated,

 that the ex members claim that Scientology is an abusive, manipulative, violent and criminal organisation, and that criminality is condoned at the highest levels and thatand said he is seeing a worldwide pattern of abuse and criminality.

The Senator’s presentaion was well researched with highlights on the cult’s many abuses and their tax exemption status. 
Click the following links to watch Part One and Part Two on YouTube.
For the transcript listed on the Parliament of Australia website, click here.

A little look into what was said by ex members and reported by the Senator.
Ex member, Aaron Saxton’s who was born into Scientology, was made a security guard for the cult at age 16. His time while in the cult, tells a horrific tale of what Scientology forced him to do or suffer their consequences. 

Aaron said he had to commit many fraudulent acts on behalf of the cult. These acts included coercing Sea Org members into having abortions, family disconnection, he was made to falsify bank records, he blackmailed other members by using their private info from their files, and participated in defrauding of credit cards.

More disturbingly, Aaron had to pull out his own teeth because of lack of medical care. He was also told not to report that a man attempted to rape him. 

A couple of snippets from the Senator’s transcript, (please read the entire transcript):

Aaron said he was so heavily under the control of the organisation’s bizarre power structure he was complicit in ordering the beating of one follower and facilitated the beating of another.

Aaron has now left the organisation and is willing to cooperate with police investigations into these matters. He was born into the cult, and he says he regrets the control it had over him and the things he did as a result.

Ex Sea Org member, Carmel Underwood.
Carmel worked for the cult in Sydney. She was also the financial planning arm of the cult. When she became pregnant, she was pressured to abort her child.

Some snippets on Carmel from the transcript:

She was working for the organisation in Sydney she fell pregnant and was put under extreme pressure to have an abortion. When she refused, she was put on a disappearing program.

Carmel says she chose to speak out because she knows there are many more victims of Scientology many of whom are still caught up in the organisation and are being physically, financially and mentally abused.

Carmel’s husband, Tim, supports his wife’s story and says the couple suffered serious financial hardship because of their involvement in the organisation. He says they were forced to pay more than $100,000 to publicise the organisation and for so-called religious texts and courses.

And finally on to the very sad story of Paul Schofield.
Paul lost his two young daughters while in the cult.

Snippets from the transcript on Paul:

He alleges the cover-up of child abuse by the organisation and admits being part of a campaign to cover up the facts surrounding the deaths of two of his daughters. Paul says his first daughter, Lauren, who was 14 months old, was being babysat at the organisation’s building in Sydney when she was allowed to wander the stairs by herself and fall. She died in hospital two days later. Paul says he felt pressured by Scientology executives not to request a coronial inquiry—pressure he ultimately gave in to. He was also told if he sought compensation from Scientology he and his wife would be ineligible for any other services.

His second daughter, Kirsty, who was 2½, died after ingesting potassium chloride—a substance used as part of a so-called purification program run by the organisation. Under the direction of  Scientology executives, Paul says he perjured himself to the police, and during the coronial inquest, in order to protect the organisation. Under incredible pressure he agreed to lie because he was scared he would be heavily punished by Scientology if he told the truth. It is a decision he regrets to this day.

 

From ex members Anna and Dean Detheridge, taken from the transcript:

claim to have been subjected to physical and mental abuse during their time with the organisation.

From Kevin Mackey taken from the transcript:

Kevin Mackey wrote to me detailing his 26 years of abuse in the organisation.

Once you have taken the bait and become hooked, the real Scientology is presented, very slowly, over years.

This psychological conditioning Kevin is talking about eventually saw him and his wife hand over almost a million dollars to the organisation in exchange for services and products.

Senator’s closing statements to parliament pretty much sums up what anti Scientology protesters and ex members who have spoken out against the cult have been all saying right along:

Do we really want to be funding an organisation that turns supporters into victims in its pursuit of power and wealth? That is why I am calling for a Senate inquiry into this organisation and its tax-exempt status. In the past Scientology has claimed that those who question their organisation are attacking the group’s religious freedom. It is twisted logic, to say the least. Religious freedom did not mean the Catholic or Anglican Churches were not held accountable for crimes and abuses committed by their priests, nuns and officials—albeit belatedly. Ultimately, this is not about religious freedom. In Australia there are no limits on what you can believe. But there are limits on how you can behave. It is called the law, and no-one is above it.

Thankfully, the Australain Police are now taking complaints on Scientology.

Ex members are starting to come out from the veil of secrecy and fight more than ever. Yesterday, it was announced on the Ex Scientology Message Board, that former member Kevin Mackey, (mentioned earlier) is getting together a class action lawsuit along with twenty other former Scientologists.The lawsuit willbe filed against the I.A.S. (which stands for International Association of Scientology) and Super Power. Both are incorporated in California, so that is where the case is being filed. He is asking for any ex members interested in participating in this class action suit to please contact him.

Kevin and other ex members are demanding their money back for contributions that they made. The money they handed over to the cult, did not go where the cult promised it was going.

FYI … The Super Power they speak of is a building attached to the Ft. Harrison Hotel in Clearwater. It is of course called The Super Power Building. (<click to read about it, it’s a real hoot!)

Funds have been collected from members for years through Scientology’s  “Super Power Expansion Project”. Where did all that money go?

The building was supposed to have been finished by the cult years ago. But it still remains an empty shell to this day. As of late March 2009, work on the building which is the length of a whole city block, is still at a standstill; the daily fines levied by the city now total $245,000.
Click here, for more info on why the Super Power Building remains closed by Marc Headley aka BFG which was written almost THREE YEARS ago.

Why Clearwater stands for Scientology’s shenanigans, is beyond me. I would imagine since Scientology has managed to slink their way in and buy up most of Clearwater over the years, (originally came in under a FAKE church name to purchase the Fort Harrison Hotel), that city officials are probably afraid of falling prey to the cult’s litigious nature and fair game tactics. Sad.

So once again America…
Why so lax? What’s it going to take?

The more our government sits idly by and allows the abuses and fraud of Scientology to continue, the more complicit they are in helping them to survive.

Again, as always…
you can believe in what you want, and that is your right. But when there is a continuous mountain of evidence that your “church” is being an abusive and corrupt organization that does not follow it’s own creed, it’s time to reavaluate the reasons why you joined Scientology in the first place.
Be part of the solution, not part of the problem. Plain and simple.

If you need help leaving Scientology, or just need someone to talk to:
Call 1-866-XSEAORG.  (1-866-973-2674) This is a toll free call.
Visit the XSEAORG website:
http://www.exseaorg.com/

The people who contacted Senator Xenophon, are all listed on the “ex members who have spoken out” list on the Why We Protest Wiki along with their testimonies, interviews and videos. To view the WWP Wiki  list click here. (Thanks Anonymous!)

Currently, the count on the Wiki has reached 812 names, and it continues to grow.

WOW! That’s an awful lot of people saying the same thing.

How many times can Scientology deny all these claims before everyone including our government, realizes that Scientology is nothing more than an abusive, fraudulent business that is far from credible?

WAKE UP AMERICA!

This has not been the best week for Scientology.

October has proven to be one of Scientology’s worst months in history. Between being found guilty of fraud in France, celebrity Paul Haggis telling them “see yah!,” the ABC Nightline series with Tommy Davis walking out on the interview, the two new books coming out by ex members “Blown For Good” by Marc Headley and “My Billion Year Contract” by Nancy Many, the many new pending lawsuits, their orgs closing left and right, and with many members leaving….. it’s safe to say, it’s not too cool to be a Scientologist right now.

This past Sunday and Monday, the St. Petersburg Times reported on interviews they conducted 
with former members of the cult. Today was their last installment in their three part series. It was the story of a former member, Don Jason who actually had to jump off a ship to try to gain his freedom. We will get to Don a bit later.

The interviews included former member’s accounts of being chased, harassed and followed by private investigators. Ex members explained how they were drawn back in to the cult and convinced to stay, against their better judgment. They thought they were doing the right thing by trying to have a clean slate with the cult, but time after time when they returned, it only made matters worse for them and prolonged their exit. Some members just wanted to simply start their lives over and to be left alone, and they succeeded, but soon they found out they were infiltrated by Scientology plants pretending to be their friends.

The cult hired private investigators to hunt down these members that had left. Once the former members were caught up with, they were convinced to come back and “route out” of Scientology. For more on routing out, click here. These former members were also asked to sign a ”pumped up” affidavit, so the cult would be able to cover their butts if these members were to leave and speak out against the cult.

Well that time has come. Former members who spoke out against Scientology to the SP Times are seeing information which was contained within those affidavits they signed once again.

Scientology spokes-creep Tommy Davis, (actress Anne Archer’s son) has pulled the affidavits out and showed them to the SP Times in the cult’s defense against the former member’s claims and stories. The cult also dug into these former member’s confidential files and put a crazy, allegation-laden, Scientology spin on their information to try to discredit them.

Scientology spokes-idiot Tommy Davis also denied the cult ever hired private investigators themselves, but that the PI’s were hired by THEIR Scientology lawyers. Way to throw your scum bag lawyers under the bus Scientology! What a bunch of cowards.

I would imagine the cult’s top lawyers like Kendrick Moxon, Helena Kobrin and Monique E. Yingling may be getting pretty sweaty palms right about now.

Miserable Kendrick Moxon

FYI… years ago, Moxon’s daughter Stacy Meyer, died at Gold Base in Gilman Hot Springs Ca. She joined the Sea Org at age 16 I believe. She died by electrocution INSIDE an underground transformer vault on the property. The details are too lengthy to get in to. The case was looked into, but not enough in my opinion. No words can describe a person like Moxon.

His daughter was cremated and her ashes were released at sea. Which sounds all too familiar to cult founder and con man, L. Ron Hubbard’s death. Moxon’s daughter’s death remains a mystery, just like other Scientology related deaths that never made any sense. Some day, those who know what actually happened will come forward. Sorry to side track from the SP Times, but now that Scientology has literally thrown their lawyers under the bus, it made me wonder how Moxon will handle these claims by Davis. People would love to hear what Moxon has to say. Isn’t Scientology saying more or less that they are not liable for the PI’s activities that THEIR lawyers hired? Interesting spin.

The St. Pete’s Times had lengthy interviews and also video taped former members while they told their stories. Their body language told me that they were telling the truth. These videos are posted on the SP Times website for all to see.

The name Pat Broeker came up in one of the interviews, and although he declined to be interviewed by the SP Times, this is one man that must have Scientology shaking in it’s boots.

Pat Broeker was L. Ron Hubbard’s personal messenger and was said to be next in line to take over Scientology when Hubbard died. Broeker’s nickname was  ”007″.

Broeker and his wife Annie were very close to Hubbard. Towards the end of Hubbard’s life, Hubbard was staying in a 40 ft trailer in Creston. Some excerpts from the LA Times story The Final Days by Joel Sappell and Robert W. Welkos written in 1990,

From Chapter four:

“The church said Hubbard went into seclusion to continue his Scientology research and to resurrect his science fiction-writing career. But former aides have said he dropped from sight to avoid subpoenas and government tax agents probing allegations that he was skimming church funds.

“They alleged that Hubbard skimmed millions of dollars from church coffers while he was in hiding”

“His thin gray hair, with streaks of the old red, hung without sheen to his shoulders. He had grown a stringy, unkempt beard and mustache. His round face was now sunken and his ruddy complexion had turned pasty. He was an old man and he was nearing death.”

Not very glamorous for the revered founder of Scientology. But members of course refuse to believe that any of those reports are true. Hubbard eventually suffered a stroke which left him unable to get out of bed and his speech was impaired. I guess his “OT powers” could not help him.

L. Ron “dropped his body” (kicked the bucket in scio speak)  on Jan 24th, 1986.  The particulars surrounding Hubbard’s death were very mysterious and many thought he may have been murdered. When the Scientology attorney rushed to get Hubbard’s body cremated, the cremation center became suspicious when they found out it was L. Ron Hubbard and insisted on doing blood tests. Vistaril was found in his bloodstream. Vistaril is a pysche drugs, and using such drugs are violently against Scientology’s beliefs. A full autopsy was not performed due to the cult’s claims of it being against their religion. A cover up perhaps?

Odd.. When John Travolta’s son died, he also had a quickie autopsy and the body was cremated 
right away. Very eerie.

Hubbard’s ashes were tossed into the sea from a TINY boat and there were only a few people in attendance. Sound familiar? Both David Miscavige and Broeker where in attendance. And although Scientologists do not make a big deal about death because they believe that a person comes back several times after death… I find it puzzling that the founder of Scientology died in such a mysterious manner and had such a tiny insignificant ceremony with hardly anyone in attendance. Makes no sense what so ever. Another account of Hubbard’s last days can be found here.

Of course Scientology told it’s members that Hubbard dropped his body and went “exterior” (went outside his body) to go study the upper levels of Scientology’s Bridge To Total Freedom, and members of course believed this fantasy hook, line and sinker. Miscavige then took over the cult. Although according to another reliable source, Miscavige had already been running everything four years prior to Hubbard’s death. 

So Pat Broeker is definitely a man of interest, to say the least. He must know an awful LOT of juicy things that Scientology would love to keep quiet.

Another BIG thing that is kept quiet? Broeker’s wife Annie. She supposedly got put on RPF (punishment) years ago and was “straightened out”. People have not seen or heard from her in years. Nobody is sure where she is.

That also goes for cult leader David Miscavige’s wife. Shelly Miscavige. For someone who is the wife of the leader of the ”fastest spreading religion” in the world. *SNICKER*, Where the hell is she? There are hardly ANY pictures of her anywhere and she never attends any of the big  Scientology “Ideal Org” openings or any of the big IAS (International Association of Scientologists) events.

At the very least you would think that cult members would question where she is after all these years of her being MIA. But nope, they just keep their blinders on and keep their eye on the prize. But sadly, there isn’t any prize, only empty bank accounts, ruined lives and sorrow.

If Broeker was to come forward with all that he knew, it would be the icing on the cake. He holds the key to many questions that need to be answered. Another big question… how did David Miscavige actually weasel his way into becoming the cult leader in the first place? Miscavige blackmailing Broeker is a huge possibility. But that was years ago and now Broeker has a lot more leverage. I hope Broeker has some decency left in his heart and comes forward and sings like a canary. It’s time.

Now back to the SP Times….

But wait, there’s more…

ABC Nightline’s, Martin Bashir interviewed Scientology cult spokesman Tommy Davis (son of actress Ann Archer) last night.

He interviewed ex Scientology members Marty Rathbun, Amy Scobee and Bruce Hines. Ex members Mike Rinder and Tom DeVocht although not present for the taping of the interview, did answer questions for ABC. 

Rathbun and Scobee along with ex members Tom DeVocht and Mike Rinder were recently interviewed by the St. Petersburg Times. Their interviews with the SP Times revealed scathing allegations of  the physical and mental abuse of Scientology members  that they witnessed at the hands of current Scientology cult leader David Miscavige. If you missed it, you can watch it here.

Although there was no mention of why cult leader David Miscavige was not present, Tommy Davis did a pretty wonderful job of looking far from credible. You don’t have to be a body language expert to notice Davis’ constant shifting eyes, how he constantly looks away, the fidgeting with his hair, clasped hands, along with his stuttering to know that he was not too comfortable with the questions that Bashir was asking him.

Bashir and Davis discussed a bunch of allegations levied against the cult, including family disconnection within the cult of Scientology’s Sea Organization, as well as a punishment called the Rehabilitation Project Force aka The RPF for short.

It was great that Davis did not deny that there was an actual RPF within Scientology’s Sea Organization, but Davis claims that the RPF is a VOLUNTARY punishment. This statement sent me through the roof.

Davis said that Sea Org members are put on such a punishment if they fail in their duties. What he didn’t mention, was that a Sea Org member can be put on RPF for something as tiny as looking at someone the wrong way. I also would love to know what Sea Org members would voluntarily put themselves on a punishment which involves lack of sleep, low quality food, not being able to talk to anyone, wearing black clothing to further separate you from others, being shamed, ridiculed, and being forced to run everywhere rather than to walk. The RPF usually means that you will be put on some sort of  manual hard labor which can go into all hours of the night and this punishment can literally last for YEARS.

Just one trip to the ex Scientology kids website will validate these claims about the RPF. Or you can pick up books written by ex Scientology members. Books like The Complex by John Duignan and Blown For Good by Marc Headley(which we recently did an article on) are just two examples of ex members shedding more light on this abusive cult. There is also a new book which just came out, called My Billion Year Contract by ex Scientology member Nancy Many who dedicated for 27 years of her life to Scientology.

Nancy’s book title derives from the contract you sign when joining Scientology’s Sea Organization. You must sign a billion year contract with Scientology in order to join the Sea Org. I kid you not. Click here to see an actual copy of Scientology’s Sea Org contract.

So back to the interview….
The ex cult members that were interviewed, dedicated 20+ years of their lives to the cult, and luckilly were able to escape. Although mentally, they are still suffering. 

One of the MANY things I found VERY disturbing about this interview, was the subject of family disconnection within the Sea Org. The mention of family disconnection itself is disturbing on its own.

But when Bashir asked Davis about Sea Org members who get married, (this is where Davis really starts to squirm) and if there are controls put in place on how often members are allowed to see their families, Davis said “there are “specific policies” that  apply to the RPF which governs what they do and what their schedule is“. Bashir then asks Davis how many times in a week would they be allowed to see their family members and Davis said “he didn’t really know off the top of his head“. 

Why would a spokesman for the “church” not know the policies of his own ”church” after being a member of Scientology for practically his entire life? And when Bashir asks Davis what was a fair guess of how many times a week Sea Org members get to see their family members, and asks if it once a week is correct, Davis said “once a week sounded about right“. Davis also said he thought seeing family members once a week was appropriate. LOVELY “church” isn’t it?

Where or where are the family protective services in all this?

If you are horrified, then please also understand this his statement is not entirely true. It’s worse. Some members can go years without seeing their family. Davis is also referring to Sea Org members whose family members are WITHIN the Sea Org and stationed at the same Org. And even then, members still don’t get to see their family. Davis is also not referring to any Sea Org members who have family members that are not in Scientology. There are people who haven’t seen their children in years. The cult fears outside interaction with family members. They fear that family will try to persuade their members to get out of the cult. To cut off members from their families is of course in pure cult fashion.

Sea Org members who are stationed at Golden Era Productions aka Gold Base in Ca., are not allowed to leave that property at all. Hard to believe that this is allowed to happen in the US today. But it does.

Also what Davis said doesn’t apply to many Sea Orgers that have other family members in the Sea Org stationed elsewhere in other countries. Many of these Sea Orgers are not on RPF, they just will never get the chance to see their family period. Members will never be spared the time to do so, nor can they afford to travel on their .25 cents an hour pay. Besides, Scientology is afraid they will flee.

According to ex Sea Org member Bruce Hines, (who was also physically abused by cult leader David Miscavige) gets a little tearful during the interview discussing his past life in Scientology. There were periods of time that he was not allowed to see his son while he was on RPF. He said at times he would wave to his son from afar if he saw him running by. His son was attending the Scientology school near by. Not being able to see you parents is considered child abuse in my book. Thankfully Bruce’s son also left the cult.

Hines also discusses his divorce and how divorce is encouraged in Scientology, and also the disconnection from other family members he still experiences today. How sad is this? 

Another one of the ex members being interviewed was Marty Rathbun. He mentioned that cult leader David Miscavige owned a beagle dog, and that Miscavige ordered a custom made military type outfit to be made for the dog complete with epaulettes. Rathbun also stated that if members didn’t salute Miscavige’s dog, then there would be big trouble. And if the dog barked at any member, than that member was considered to be “out ethics”. Amy Scobee also confirmed this claim . And a little visit to the Why We Protest site revealed a comment by BFG aka Blown For Good, aka Marc Headley, in which he also talks about Miscavige’s dogs. Here’s the snipette from WWP:

In terms of the dog – there was actually at least 4 of them. Safi, Jelly, Lucy and Daisy. Lucy was the one that did the barking at “out-ethics” people.

The dogs DO travel with Dave. They at least went to Clearwater all the time. These dogs make Paris Hilton’s dogs look like ghetto strays. Clothes, special food, People to walk them and pick up their crap and take care of them. Those dogs easily have more money spent on their weekly food than 10 RPFers combined!

So correct me if I am wrong…. but it sounds like Miscavige’s dogs live and eat better than the Sea Org members? And the cult spends MORE money on these dogs then their own Sea Org members?
Who by the way are the very people who have to take care of these spoiled mutts. Talk about utter DISGUST and OUTRAGE.

ABC stated that members of Scientology wrote several affidavits denying that Miscavige was an abusive person and that Rathbun was the abusive person. Of course members and staff will do what they are told to do, or suffer the consequences. Rathbun does not deny that he was abusive, but blames Miscavige for  his actions.

Speaking of cult leader David Miscavige, where is he? He is the current leader of this so called “church”, so why wasn’t he interviewed?

Perhaps his last defensive interview with Ted Koppel back in 1992 was all he can manage with his “busy” schedule.

You would think now more than ever, that Scientology members would want some reassurance from their “leader”. (I use the term VERY lightly)  But Miscavige seems to be MIA. Rumors are, that Miscavige is seeking refuge in Columbia. With all the pending court cases against Scientology, ex members speaking out and with more members leaving, it’s clear that Miscavige is not the “church” leader that he professes to be and is hiding. What could possibly be his excuse for not granting another interview for over seventeen years now? Hiding on Scientology’s Tone Scale is VERY low. *snicker*

Back to wonder boy…

But wait, there’s more…

In what could turn out to be a total blunder by law enforcement, the meter reader who found a bag containing a human child’s skull in an area near the Anthony home tried three times in August to report the suspicious bag:

An Orange County utilities worker tried three times in August to alert law enforcement of a strange gray bag on the side of Suburban Drive near the home of missing Caylee Marie Anthony, a sheriff’s official said Thursday.

Three times, deputy sheriffs checked the tips with no results. When curiosity led the same utility worker back to the same spot last week, he found the remains of a small child.

Now, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office is trying to figure out what happened four months ago and how its deputies handled the calls. The tipster, who has not been publicly identified, is not considered a suspect and has been cooperating with deputies, officials said.

“We are attempting to be as thorough, as clear and as concise as possible with the information that we received. There was a window of opportunity, possibly …” Capt. Angelo Nieves said. “We had a deputy respond to this location.”

The meter reader “provided several phone calls to our Crimeline as well as our communications center,” the captain added during a late afternoon press conference. “We are currently following up on that sequence to determine the thoroughness of the response here to the scene.”

Over a three-day period in August, this meter reader attempted three different times to report what he felt was a suspicious-looking bag:

A sheriff’s official offered this outline of the three tips by the utility worker in August:

– On Aug. 11, the meter reader called the sheriff’s office communication center to report a bag on the “right side” of the road near the intersection of Suburban and Hopespring drives. The meter reader was not there when a deputy arrived. The officer cleared the scene.

– On Aug. 12, the worker called Crimeline, which collect tips on unsolved crimes. That information was documented and sent to a detective, who made a note that the area had been searched by a cadaver dog and the tip was closed out.

– On Aug. 13, after the worker called the communication center again, two deputies responded to the area — each arriving separately — and they met with the meter reader. At least one deputy checked the woods and cleared the scene for a second time.

“We will conduct an administrative follow-up to try to determine what occurred with the deputy when he responded out to the scene, why he handled himself how he did,” Nieves said.

I’d certainly hope so, although I have a feeling they will decide that the policeman did nothing wrong.  After all, a bag found in a wooded area in the relative vicinity of a missing child’s home couldn’t possibly warrant further investigation.  I mean, didn’t this deputy even poke the bag, or open it to look inside?  Even if it was just trash that someone had thrown out, at least it would have been a definitive conclusion.

At first glance, it seems that this guy has been cleared of any wrongdoing and is just a concerned citizen who followed this on the news, like the rest of us, and remained doggedly determined:

VAN SUSTEREN: FOX’s Phil Keating is live at the scene in Florida. Phil, this is a very strange coincidence, that this man — the meter reader who found the skull on December 11 also saw a bag in August. If it’s the same color bag, it’s less weird to me, I guess. But what can you tell me about this?

PHIL KEATING, FOX CORRESPONDENT: There are a lot of bags that were in those woods at the time when Caylee Anthony was reported missing. We even sent our own photographer in those woods, roughly 30 to 40 feet away from the present crime scene. You could see in that videotape there was a lot of litter, bags, trash, debris. This is an area which is known in the neighborhood as a place for teenagers to go get away from adults. An din fact, back in July, we spoke with one of Casey’s friends who told us when she was a kid, she would go back there.

So this gentleman, the county water meter reader, is one of so many in the Orlando area that are absolutely consumed with everything about this story about a missing child named Caylee Anthony. It has been on the news day in and day out here, not just the first month, but basically, until last Thursday. And it continues to be in the paper and broadcast nightly on the news. This is one of those many people who’s following every inch of the investigation. He looks at maps at home, I presume, sees this wooded area right near the house and suggests in three phone calls in August, You should go check this out. Next day, You should go check it out. Next day, You should go check it out.

According to the sheriff’s department, four months go by. No one’s ever found Caylee Anthony’s remains. The guy happens to be reading meters in the Anthony neighborhood. According to the investigators, last Thursday, gets to the corner, sees the woods down the street and decides, You know what? I’m going to go ahead and take a little break and take a walk through those woods and just whatever became of my tip, was there anything actually back there. And then in what has got to be the most shocking coincidence of the year, he actually discovers the remains he suggested police may find or deputies may find.

Of course, everything here is pertinent, whether or not these remains have been here five or six months and whether they ultimately will be identified as Caylee’s. If both of those come true, then there’s going to be serious questions raised (INAUDIBLE) Orange County sheriff’s department as to why it wasn’t until August 13…

VAN SUSTEREN: But that…

KEATING: … Following the third tip from this guy, that they finally went thoroughly into those woods and not so thoroughly at all.

VAN SUSTEREN: All right. Well, that’s a whole different issue. That’s whether the police have done their job effectively, the way they’re supposed to according to procedure. The more bizarre thing to me is why this guy in August is the one who gives the tip, and he’s the one who actually finds it in December. And quite reasonably, I’m curious about that because the whole idea of the defense is whether or not somebody’s moved it, move it, if, indeed, that is Caylee, and whether or not somebody else did something. So I mean, it’s, like — it’s more than just whether the police have followed up on a tip. There’s a lot more to this.

The site was flooded in September when Texas EquuSearch was there, and when they came back in November the site had a fence around it.  A volunteer said that searchers had attempted to canvass the area, a secluded place where Casey and her friends used to party, but the terrain was steep and full of snakes.  The meter reader initially said that he found the bag when he went into the woods to relieve himself, but now it seems that he was possibly following up on what the police didn’t seem to be able to.  This time, instead of calling a tipline, he went straight to 911.

It is kind of weird, though, that he is the one who found the remains, seemingly by accident, after the area had already been searched, and after he had been there three times already.  But, Florida has had so much rain and flooding that I’m sure trash and debris has moved from one spot to another.  It’s hard to say at this point and only time will tell if he is truly an innocent citizen or if there’s something more to this story.

Another interesting thing about the site is that there appears to be what might be a hardcover book in the underbrush, and it is believed that it could be similar to one that we’ve seen Caylee reading while sitting at her kitchen table.  If you look at this photo gallery, you can see what they are talking about (I put an arrow in the photo above).  Caylee was last seen leaving her house with a backpack.  When my kids were little, they took their favorite toys with them in their little backpacks, and often took books in them to look at.

I don’t mean to come down too hard on the police, because this sounds like an isolated case of incompetence and not indicative of the department as a whole.  In their defense, they  have received many, many tips on where Caylee might be, from neighbors and psychics and people all over the country.  They may have thought this guy was just another crackpot and there may in fact be more to his story that it appears.  But then again, if you’re faced with a bag in a wooded area in fairly close proximity to where a missing child was last seen, wouldn’t you at least open it to see what was inside?

We are a blog, not hard-hitting news. These are our opinions. GlossLip has continuing coverage of the disappearance of Caylee Anthony here.

There’s been a ton of news in the case of missing little girl Caylee Anthony.

But wait, there’s more…

Actress and former American Idol contestant Jennifer Hudson’s mother and brother were found murdered in Chicago:

The mother and brother of Jennifer Hudson were found shot dead Friday at a South Side home, and police were looking for a missing child who is the nephew of the singer and Oscar-winning actress.

“We can confirm that there is an ongoing investigation concerning the deaths of Jennifer Hudson’s mother, Darnell Donerson, and her brother, Jason Hudson,” Hudson’s personal publicist, Lisa Kasteler, said in a statement. “No further comment will be made and the family has asked that their privacy be respected at this difficult time.”

Police spokeswoman Monique Bond said the deaths appeared to be the result of domestic abuse. The Cook County medical examiner’s office said autopsies for Donerson, 57, and Jason Hudson, 29, were pending. [...]

Deputy Chief Joseph Patterson said a family member entered the home around 3 p.m. Friday, found a woman shot on the living room floor and left to notify authorities. Responding officers found a man shot in the bedroom, Patterson said. There was no sign of forced entry.

Jennifer’s nephew Julian is also listed as missing:

Authorities issued an Amber Alert for 7-year-old Julian King and were seeking a 1994 white Chevrolet Suburban. The child was the grandson of the female victim, Patterson said.

The alert said the child was possibly abducted and could be accompanied by a man named William Balfour — considered armed and dangerous — who was a suspect in the double homicide investigation. Records from the Illinois Department of Corrections show Balfour, 27, who has not been charged with a crime, is on parole and spent nearly seven years in prison for attempted murder, vehicular hijacking and possessing a stolen vehicle. [...]

The two could also be in a teal or green Chrysler Concorde with a temporary license plate, a left front headlight hanging out and scratches on the left side of the vehicle, police said.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Jennifer and her family.

UPDATE:  It seems that there is a suspect in custody, and this whole sad story apparently stems from an ongoing domestic problem within the family:

The hunt for Jennifer Hudson’s 7-year-old nephew continues to intensify. And we’re told the operating theory among Chicago detectives is an “ongoing domestic dispute” between the suspect, William Balfour, and his estranged wife, Julia Hudson.

Chicago cops would not be more specific, other than to tells us there is an “underlying domestic aspect” to the investigation … that there was “trouble in the marriage.”

We’re told cops continue to interview people, but no one other than Balfour is in custody. As for Balfour, so far no charges have been filed.

Chicago cops are now using flyers with Julian King’s pic to find the missing boy.

The boy hasn’t been seen since the bodies of Hudson’s mother and brother were found Friday in her home in the South side of Chicago. The two had been shot to death.

The police will be handing out the flyers today all over Chicago, particularly on the South side.

According to CNN, which stated in an earlier report that Casey Anthony, mother of missing toddler Caylee Anthony, would surrender to police if indicted by a grand jury today. It seems as though that indictment has come to pass. Here are more details from CNN:

Casey Anthony was taken to jail after officers observed her switch cars on a highway and pulled her over, an Orange County Sheriff’s Department spokesman said.

Earlier Tuesday, Anthony’s lawyer said his client would turn herself in if the grand jury returned an indictment against her.

“She’s not running from this,” attorney Jose Baez said as his 22-year-old client wiped tears from her eyes during an impromptu media briefing before the charges against her were announced. “She’s doing her best to stand strong, to stand up to the powers that are working against her. And they threw the kitchen sink at her a long time ago.”

After the indictment, undercover officers followed Anthony as she traveled in her mother’s SUV. The officers saw the SUV stop under a highway overpass, at which point Anthony got into another vehicle and drove off. Officers made the traffic stop after she entered the second vehicle, the spokesman said.

Prosecutors are asking Anthony be held without bond.

Anthony is charged with first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter of a child and four counts of providing false information to police.

Lawson Lamar, the state attorney for Orange County, Florida, said the first count is a capital charge — which could carry a penalty of life in prison or death.

The 19 grand jurors — 10 women and nine men — deliberated for about half an hour after hearing from police, a cadaver dog handler, an FBI agent and the missing child’s grandfather.

The article also pointed out, that despite efforts to recover the missing child, 3-year old Caylee whereabouts remain unknown. As the article stated, George Anthony, father to Casey and Caylee’s grandfather, testified before the grand jury. Mr. Anthony made a statement before stepping before the court:

“This is going to be very hard for me to do. The focus has always been on my granddaughter and always will be. I love my daughter, I love my wife, I love my son,” Anthony said.

He asked for the public to keep his family, especially Caylee, in their prayers. “If someone could take a moment out at 11 o’clock this morning and 11 o’clock tonight and just pray for her. That’s all I’m asking for. That’s all I can say.”

Prayers are something we can all afford to give for little Caylee.

For Glosslip’s extensive coverage of the Caylee Anthony case, please click here.

Just a quick update on the continuing case of missing toddler Caylee Anthony, and her mother Casey, who continues to maintain her innocence in the face of ever-mounting evidence against her.

But wait, there’s more…

While long having been a “person of interest” in the disappearance of her daughter, Caylee, Casey Anthony has now officially been named a suspect:

Orange County deputies are now calling the mother of missing 3-year-old Caylee Marie Anthony a suspect in the girl’s disappearance.

Casey Anthony, 22, was first called a ‘person of interest’ by investigators in mid-July , but only recently did they begin to refer to her as a suspect.

Sheriff’s spokesman Capt. Angelo Nieves said there was no new evidence to prompt the change.

“Her information has been suspect since we began this investigation,” Nieves said. “This is a person who has been uncooperative since the first day.”

A person of interest is someone law enforcement wants to speak to in order to provide information about a case, Nieves said. A suspect, on the other hand, is someone who is believed to have been involved in crime.

Anthony has been charged with child neglect and filing a false statement to law enforcement. She faces several check fraud charges in unrelated cases.

“Over the past two and half months we have been diligently working to resolve the case of the missing child,” Nieves said. “The information she has provided has proven to be false.”

And it has been learned that investigators are now searching in a couple of new areas:

Both wooded areas they’re searching are not far from where Casey Anthony lives with her parents. One is near the Amscot at Goldenrod and Highway 50 where Casey abandoned her car in late June. Investigators have searched the area more than once with cadaver dogs.

The other area is closer to Orlando International Airport, where a driver told investigators she saw a car like Casey’s white Pontiac Sunfire parked in the median days after Caylee disappeared and she saw someone slight of build wearing a baseball cap and what looked like athletic wear walk out of the woods, someone she believes could have been Casey. It was odd to her because it’s not a popular spot for joggers.

We’ve been following this case for a while now and have read many documents and seen many interviews with people connected with it.  I happened to catch this interview, and I thought it was one of the better ones I’ve seen.  On the Today show Thursday morning, ex-fiance Jesse Grund (who came across as very well-spoken) urged Casey to tell the truth and stop paying games:

“Casey, tell the truth. This isn’t about you anymore. This is about Caylee,” Jesse Grund said at the end of an interview with TODAY’s Matt Lauer Thursday in New York. “Stop dragging people’s lives through this. Stop destroying people’s lives and tell the truth. What happened to Caylee?” [...]

It is said again that Cindy Anthony believed, possibly still does, that Jesse is the one who knows where Caylee is:

“My number one suspect has been Jesse all along,” Cindy Anthony tells a detective, who replies: “We know that Jesse doesn’t have Caylee.” Grund confirmed that he has taken a polygraph test to clear his name, and told Lauer he’s been cooperating in the investigation into the disappearance of the little girl.

He says that while he felt it was impossible that he was Caylee’s father (later proven by a paternity test), he treated the little girl like she was his own:

When Casey Anthony became pregnant with Caylee, she initially told Grund that he was the father. Even though he didn’t think it was possible — they had broken up before she became pregnant — he involved himself with Caylee and treated her like a daughter.

“I petitioned for a paternity test, and there was zero percent probability” that he was the father, he told Lauer. He also explained why he took a paternal interest in Caylee when she was born: “My attitude was, until the paternity test comes out, I’m not going waste time or miss out if this really is my child.”

He reveals that even though he caught her in lies and stealing from him, he never thought that she was a bad mom:

Since the disappearance, Casey Anthony has been portrayed as almost a pathological liar. Police interview tapes show detectives telling her that everything she told them about the disappearance had proved to be lies. Lauer asked Grund if he saw evidence of that.

“At the very end of our relationship, absolutely,” Grund replied. “At the very end, she started to lie about things. I was one of the ones she stole money from. She stole $250 from me, and then made up an excuse why she couldn’t pay me back, or made up excuses why she couldn’t be places with me. I found out she was actually seeing someone else at the end of our relationship.”

It was a radical change from the young woman he had been briefly engaged to.

“She was a very good mother, Matt,” Grund said. “She was very doting. She was devoted. Caylee was the center of her universe.”

Lauer asked if he saw any indication that Casey Anthony was having trouble coping with being a single mother.

“Absolutely not. No, not at the beginning,” Grund said, “Not when Caylee was a baby. There was no indication she was having any problems being a mother.”

Casey Anthony has been portrayed as a woman more interested in partying than in being a mother, but Grund repeated that in the beginning, she wasn’t like that at all.

“She was very much into being a homebody and loyal, and she was wanting to spend the rest of our lives together,” he said. He traced the transformation in Casey Anthony to when she formed a closer relationship with her mother, from whom she had previously distanced herself.

“She started to pull away, and it started to become about her,” Grund said. “She started to party and drink — this lifestyle that now we’ve seen pictures of out there. And then the lying started to come … [When] she started becoming close with her mother, it started a transformation.”

But could she have harmed her child?

“The Casey that I knew, no,” he said. “But … who knows the real Casey? I think only she does. I think her personality has been so changed and molded over the years, I don’t even know if she knows who she is.”

His final words to Casey?

Addressing his ex-fiancé directly, Grund said: “We’re all done with having to listen to your lies and your stories that make no sense over and over and over again. So tell the truth about what happened.”

Yes, absolutely.  We are all tired of the lies.  The stories go round and round and they don’t make any sense.  Casey, for once in your life, do the right thing.  This isn’t about you any longer.  You can only attempt to twist the police around for so much longer before they drop the hammer on you.  Everyone is tired of your games, Casey.  Caylee deserves more respect than that.  If there was ever any tiny bit of love for your daughter, please…tell the truth.

Just tell the truth.

It’s been a rather quiet week on the Caylee Anthony case, which is probably a good thing…too much negative publicity and just plain junk going on there for a while.  Hopefully this means the police can concentrate more on finding Caylee and on gathering enough evidence to pin this crime on her mother, Casey.  Yes, I am more firmly convinced than ever that her mother was the cause of little Caylee’s death, but whether it was purposefully or accidentally remains to be seen.

Some updates in the case:

But wait, there’s more…