The outrage over the not guilty verdict for Casey Anthony has spurred one woman to initiate a campaign that would make it a felony to not report a child missing or dead.

Dubbed “Caylee’s Law,” the campaign created on Change.org, has gone viral and garnered more than 700,000 signatures in just over two days.

The proposal is also gaining steam among a handful of legislators who are looking to craft it into law.

As proposed, “Caylee’s Law” would make it a felony if parents or caretakers did not report a child’s death within one hour and disappearance within 24 hours.

The campaign was launched by Michelle Crowder of Durant, Okla., who was inspired by a similar proposal on Facebook.

Crowder started the Change.org petition on Tuesday evening after Anthony was found not guilty of first-degree murder or manslaughter in the case of her two-year-old daughter Caylee’s death, but guilty of providing false information to police. Anthony is scheduled to be released July 17.
Change.org reported that “Caylee’s Law” is the most popular petition they have ever featured. Within the first 36 hours it had more than 250,000 supporters and several legislators from various states promising to introduce bills to put “Caylee’s Law” on the books.

“I’m just completely and totally amazed. I didn’t expect my Change.org petition calling for Caylee’s Law to take off like this,” said Crowder in a released statement. “Legislators in Florida and Oklahoma have already pledged to introduce Caylee’s Law. I hope that other states, and Congress, will also take up Caylee’s Law. We can’t afford to have another case like Caylee Anthony’s in the courts.”

To contact Sabra Stafford, e-mail sstafford@turlockjournal.com or call 634-9141 ext. 2002