Fla. mom goes on trial in death of tot, 2

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The trial of Casey Anthony, the young mother accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter Caylee, is drawing so much media attention that the judge is keeping the location of jury selection secret until the proceedings begin .

At the center of the media maelstrom is the ponytailed, 25-year-old Anthony, who could face the death penalty if convicted of first-degree murder. She also is charged with aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter of a child and providing false information to law enforcement. She has pleaded not guilty and says a baby sitter kidnapped Caylee.

Anthony waited a month before telling her mother that Caylee had disappeared in the summer of 2008. Anthony's mother then contacted authorities. Hundreds of volunteers scoured central Florida in search of any clues to Caylee's whereabouts. Meanwhile, numerous photos surfaced of Casey Anthony drinking, some of them allegedly taken during that first month.

The heart-tug of a missing apple-cheeked girl contrasted with images of the hard-partying, single mother and proved irresistible to talk-show hosts and bloggers. The case became a media sensation, as HLN talk show host Nancy Grace gave Anthony the moniker "Tot Mom." Protesters suspecting Anthony had a role in her daughter's disappearance demonstrated outside of the home Anthony shared with her parents.

So far, about 600 media credentials have been requested.

"The pretrial publicity I've seen in this case is unprecedented in the state of Florida," said Circuit Judge Belvin Perry.

Caylee's decomposed remains were found December 2008 by a municipal meter reader in woods not far from where she lived with her mother and grandparents. Detectives said residue of a heart-shaped sticker was found on duct tape over the mouth of her skull. Medical Examiner Jan Garavaglia, who once had her own national television show, "Dr. G: Medical Examiner," ruled that a cause of death could not be determined. The autopsy said the girl's bones didn't suffer trauma.

Some outside experts said the lack of a cause of death could make it hard to get a first-degree murder conviction. "If you can't say how she died you're kind of hamstrung on saying what the . . . intent was," said David Hill, an Orlando criminal defense attorney.