The trial Casey Anthony for the murder of her daughter Caylee produced widespread anger,
frustration, and pure disgust. The Florida court should have punished Casey Anthony for not
reporting her child’s disappearance for 21 days, even if the prosecution had a weak case for murder.
From my point of view, her attitude and actions towards her child represented gross negligence. In
another recent case in central Kansas, adoptive parents failed to report their child missing for over 2
years and continued receiving state checks for the child’s support.
In response to requests from numerous legislators, the Speaker of the Kansas House (an attorney)
has initiated a review of Kansas’s law in this area. The Speaker plans on introducing legislation to
change the law during the 2012 session beginning in January. The legislation will make the crimes
and punishment of not reporting the death or disappearance of a child much tougher. While current
Kansas’s law is stricter than some other states, it is not strict enough in the wake of the Anthony case
and other related cases.
After the review of other states proposed legislation, I will support making the Kansas law the strictest
in the nation.
To contact me on this or any other issues, please e-mail: [email protected],
State Rep. Carl Holmes