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'Caylee's Law' Petition Takes Off in Wake of Casey Anthony Verdict

A law proposed by an Oklahoma mother of two would make it a felony to fail to report a child that has gone missing. The grassroots effort has collected more than 150,00 signatures in less than 24 hours.

 

Outrage over the not-guilty verdict in the Casey Anthony murder trial has spurred an Oklahoma mother of two to gather more than 150,000 signatures for a law that would make it a federal crime to fail to report a child missing.

Michelle Crowder of Durant, Oklahoma, thought that Anthony would at least be charged with obstruction of justice for waiting 31 days to report her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee, missing. As a result, she logged on to the social activism website Change.org and wrote a petition for Caylee's Law, seeking to make it a felony when parents or guardians fail to report that a child has gone missing.

In less than 24 hours, the petition has garnered more than 120,000 signatures, and Crowder has been inundated with offers from legislators wanting to carry the bill as well as interview requests from Time magazine and CNN.

“I am a nobody, just an average person," the unemployed retail worker said. "I have never done anything like this before. I saw the verdict, and I was just appalled.

Related: Did jurors make the right decision? Join the chat!

“It started with a Facebook post, and after a half-hour of seeing it, everybody agreed with it but nobody was doing anything ... so I decided to write a petition on change.org.”

Never in the site’s history has a petition received this kind of reaction, said Brian Purchia, director of communications for Change.org

“She had been following the story like millions of Americans and people oversees, and when the ruling came down, she was upset and wanted to do something about it,” Purchia said. “The response has been amazing. About 5,000 people an hour are signing it.”

According to Purchia, several legislators have contacted Change.org with their interest in sponsoring the bill, including Oklahoma State Senator Greg Treat, Bradley Jones Jr. of Massachusetts and Bill Hager of Florida.

According to the Orange County District Attorney's Office, California has no law requiring guardians to notify authorities when their child is killed or goes missing.

Crowder’s petition is simple:

“I'm writing to propose that a new law be put into effect making it a felony for a parent, legal guardian, or caretaker to not notify law enforcement of the death of their child, accidental or otherwise, within 1 hour of said death being discovered. This way there will be no more cases like Casey Anthony's in the courts, and no more innocent children will have to go without justice. Also, make it a felony for a parent, legal guardian, or caretaker to not notify law enforcement of the disappearance of a child within 24 hours, so proper steps can be taken to find that child before it's too late,” wrote Crowder. “The case of Caylee Anthony was tragic, and there is no reason for another case like this one to hit the courts. Let's do what is necessary to prevent another case like this from happening.”

On Tuesday, Anthony was acquitted of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and aggravated manslaughter of a child. The jury did convict her on four misdemeanor counts of providing false information to law enforcement officers. Today she was sentenced to four years for lying to police. Authorities expect Anthony to be released this week for time already served.

Here is the petition for Caylee's Law.

Related Topics: Caylee Law, Caylee Marie Anthony, Caylee's Law, Caylee's Law Petition, Did Casey Anthony Get Away With Murder?, casey anthony, and change.org

Margarita

4:50 pm on Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Where do I sign this petition. I'm so up set also this women was they worst mother I have ever seen in my life.m chavarria

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pam

6:05 pm on Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Join this move and then forward the link to everyone in your address book. Maybe we can collectively prevent this from happening to another innocent child.

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sherry drehle

7:50 pm on Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Please direct me where to sign this petition. I am both shocked and appauled that she walked. How did they get 12 people that allowed this to happen?? It's unbelievable!!! Shocking!!! I hope she gets what is coming to her.

Deborah DeLaurentis

6:33 pm on Wednesday, July 6, 2011

What a amazing tribute to this precious little angel...to never be forgotten!! Where do I sign?

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Anna Jacoby

7:06 pm on Wednesday, July 6, 2011

This Was The Real Crime...(.If It Was An Accident As Stated,) Then The USe or Should I Say MISUSE of People, Time, Money, Funds, Police, Services, Volunteers, Courts, No ONE Has Taken Into Account The RAPE Of People's Trust That Happened Here. People ARE Angry, Not so Much That The Evidence Was Not There To Convict....But That They Were USED, DUPED, LIED TO. Looking For Caylee While She Was Getting A Tatoo. If She Told Her Story, If She Helped Us To Understand WHY..... If She Would Have Just Stood Up And Apologized For Her Actions, Perhaps People Would Have More Sympathy For Her.

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PauletteCarr73

7:30 pm on Wednesday, July 6, 2011

I would like to sign this petition as well. If the police were looking for her on June the 16th they may have found her 6 months earlier. the delay was hurricane Faye that took place a month or so later. We could have found a cause of death as it would be a body not a skeleton.

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Gailene

7:41 pm on Wednesday, July 6, 2011

I am so glad that something positive is being done on behalf of little Caylee. I will be so happy to be a part to change law. Sad to say I thought it was already law to report a child missing.

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gricel reyes

7:53 pm on Wednesday, July 6, 2011

i would like to sign as well i cant under stand what happen no justice for this little child.

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mel01

7:57 pm on Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Only Casey and GOD know what happened to Caylee she will have to answer to HIM

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rickelle

8:00 pm on Wednesday, July 6, 2011

How do you laugh and smile knowing that your daughter is dead!!!??? She does not deserve to walk free!!! As a mother of a one year old I will always a piece or caylee in my heart. God bless you sweet heart,you are at peace now!!!

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Stephanie Kowaleski

8:01 pm on Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Unfortunately there is no proof Casey murdered Caylee. BUT their is PROOF that she abandon her daughter for 31 days without reporting it. Therefor she should be charged with CHILD NEGLECT and this is why we need to sign Caylee's Law. So parent can't use the "i was in denial" excuse for not reporting a 2 year old missing for 31 days!! So please go sign-Thank you!! http://www.change.org/petition​s/create-caylees-law

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Diane Bilton

8:02 pm on Wednesday, July 6, 2011

The only victim is this case is Caylee Anthony. Hopefully this petition will create laws to prevent anything like this from happening again.

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peggy garofalo

8:04 pm on Wednesday, July 6, 2011

how do i sign ? rest in peace caylee marie god loves you

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Susan Dear

8:10 pm on Wednesday, July 6, 2011

I'm sad that we actually have to push for a law to be written for this. I would have thought this is common sense, why wouldn't you report it? Sad, sad, sad! Maybe something good will come out of it. I'm happy to be part of this!

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Gloria

8:11 pm on Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Great praise should go to the mother who thought of this! Let's hope Cindy and George Anthony sign this petition and take up this cause as well for their deceased granddaughter.

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Grace

8:14 pm on Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Sign me UP!! Can you imagine a little girl leaving her Grandparents home hand and hand with her Mom and then her Mom putting duct tape over her mouth and threw her in the trunk of her car!! So Very, Very sad!!

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tanya

8:15 pm on Wednesday, July 6, 2011

While on demanded bed rest during my second pregancy I fell asleep and my oldest daughter wandered out of the house and went to her baby sitter's house. Bed rest or not I wandered the neighborhood and within half an hour was filling out a police report. thankfully, my daughter came walking up asking what was up. Thirty days? OMG. I blame the prosecution for going for the death penalty!!!

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Leaetta Waack

8:18 pm on Wednesday, July 6, 2011

My heart is broken over the "not guilty verdict".. I feel tho that we need to make sure that Cassie Anthony not make "bundles" money from movie or book deals down the road. We need to boycott any advertisers or publishers that support her in any way..She should not make money on such a tragedy!!!! This petition is the only good thing to come out of this whole ordeal!!! Rest in Peace Sweet Caylee!!!

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tanya

8:24 pm on Wednesday, July 6, 2011

I was on complete bedrest while pregnant with my second child do to difficulties. I fell asleep on the couch, didn't lock the dead bolt and my oldest daughter wandered off and went down the street to play with her baby sitter at her house.
Against doctors orders I slowly walked the neighborhood searching for her. Within 30 minutes I had a cop at my house and was filling out a complete police report! I lived in Chicago so who knows what could have happened.
Thankfully, my daughter walked up and asked what all the comotion was about. Talk about releif and anger in the same breath.
30 days?

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amanda thompson

8:29 pm on Wednesday, July 6, 2011

even if Casey didn't kill caylee, how is it that she can walk free after admitting that she disposed of the body in said manner. I recently suffered the loss of my young daughter from cancer, yet had to go through a hoopla of paper work to support her death, and pay a ton of money for cremation services to bury her. If there were no laws intact for proper "legal" disposal, then I would not have had to go through that, rather I could have carried her body home and disposed of it as I saw fit. the message that is being sent to the public is that if you hid things, lie, and sneak around ect... you can cheat all these legalities and do as you please with "your" dead next of kin, which as far as I know is not legal in this day and age. Ok, the jury voted that Casey did not kill nor neglect Caylee, yet the justice system in general seemed to turn a blind eye to what was done with Caylee after the "accident" was discovered. I would like to see someone legitimately walk in to a funeral home with a dead next of kin in the trunk of their car and see what the reaction would be..........

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Nilsa Guslawski

8:47 pm on Wednesday, July 6, 2011

sweet and precious Caylee, you're now safe in God's arms.

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Stephanie

9:02 pm on Wednesday, July 6, 2011

People do crazy things. I die every time I hand my daughter over but I have to go on living. She may be gone for a few days or hours but it hurts and you have to be human. Her baby died. How sad for her. Can't you all think how you would feel or react the court gave me no choice. thats messed up.

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Louise None-given

1:04 am on Thursday, July 7, 2011

I want to help work on getting this Bill passed Please let me know how if there's anyway Thank You!

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susan

1:12 am on Thursday, July 7, 2011

I want to sign petition also find me on Facebook leave message about petition and I will friend you to sign thank you

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Paige Austin

9:25 am on Thursday, July 7, 2011

As of Thursday morning, more than 350,000 people have signed the petition and legislators from Florida, Oklahoma, Massachusetts and New York have offered to carry the bill. Supporters of the law have encouraged those wishing to help to contact their state and federal legislators about Caylee's Law.

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Jackie Navarro Moriarity

8:54 am on Friday, July 8, 2011

how do i go about contacting my legislators in the state of texas this bill needs to be carried all cross the us too many innocents are dying i also think we need to be more careful in who we vote in for our judges and da

AubeO

10:37 am on Thursday, July 7, 2011

She did it.

SHE knows it, her parents know it, that slimeball Baez knows it, and so do we.

I'm just NOT going to watch ANY interviews for which anyone associated with her acquittal may have been paid. I'm not buying any books or magazines on the subject where she, her pathologically lying family, her defense team, or some spineless jurors will be paid for their inputs. I will not support TV, movies, networks or sponsors making money on Caylee's murder. I can't stand that these bits of human waste -most especially her own mother- now want to PROFIT by the death of a 2 year old child.

RIP, Caylee. YOU were NOT garbage. Your mother is.

For those of you who likewise do not want to see Casey Anthony profit by murdering Caylee, visit http://www.facebook.com/groups/215615618474457 or

http://www.facebook.com/BoycottCaseyAnthony

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Dweezle

10:44 am on Thursday, July 7, 2011

In my opinion all people supporting this bill spend way too much time watching Nancy Grace and the HLN Network. The woman was tried and found not guilty. Were any of you in the jury room when the evidence was evaluated? I doubt it. But as usual, This woman was tried and convicted in the Media circus!
Every time something terrible or unjust happens now, someone wants to create another law...
Shall I expect to see a bunch of homeless winos getting paid to circulate petitions that they know nothing about claiming to protect children?

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Dweezle

12:48 am on Sunday, July 31, 2011

I saw the first person parked sitting at a table in front of a market trying to get people to sign this petition I laughed my ass off when I read "Protect Children, Sign Here" I asked him if he was being paid to do this, he replied, "None of your business" I went in and told the store manager, that I will never shop at that store again... I wonder if it will matter...

Angela

7:16 am on Sunday, July 17, 2011

The verdict made me sick to my stomach! Such an inept jury! I am so happy to see a positive action come from this miscarriage of justice and that is the petition for Caylee's Law. I had similar thoughts but I did not know how to get it started. Thank you so much Michelle Crowder! I have signed the petition and will get others to do the same.

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Trevor

11:49 pm on Saturday, July 30, 2011

I have no problem with a state law for this purpose, but to further empower the federal government is a mistake.

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