Favola, Areizaga-Soto Would Support 'Caylee's Law'

Both Democrats seeking outgoing state Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple’s seat told Patch on Monday that they would support efforts to implement “Caylee’s Law” in Virginia if such a law is proposed.

Numerous state legislatures – as many as 20 – are in line to consider Caylee’s Law legislation following this month’s high-profile acquittal of Casey Anthony on accusations of murdering her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee.

Caylee’s Law would generally require a parent or guardian to report the death of a child within an hour or to report a missing child within 24 hours. There are slight differences on the time limits in the various pieces of potential legislation.

Arlington County Board Member Barbara Favola, who is running for state Senate, said she would “absolutely” support such legislation if it is introduced in Virginia.

“My goodness, the police will tell you within the first 20 minutes of a crime they are best able to gather evidence and put together a puzzle that will enable them to successfully find a missing person or locate a perpetrator,” Favola said.

“The longer you wait, evidence is tainted, you have fewer clues, the person is more at risk… It just seems very odd to me that a parent wouldn’t want to report a missing child right away.”

Jaime Areizaga-Soto, an attorney in the U.S. National Guard’s JAG Corps, called requiring people to move quickly in the event of a missing child “critical.”

“Based on the importance of safety for children, I would support requiring custodians, adults, to report a missing child within a specific amount of time, yes,” Areizaga-Soto said. “We all, as a society, have an interest in children. And if a child goes missing, it is critical.”

, although the two so far haven’t distinguished themselves substantially on policy positions.

The two Democrats will square off Aug. 23, and the winner will face Republican Caren Merrick in November.

Kate Kruk, policy director for Republican state House Speaker Bill Howell, said the speaker’s office had received more than 200 emails about Caylee’s Law, most through the online petition site Change.org.

“I’m sure it will be discussed” when the General Assembly convenes in January, Kruk said.

An aide to state Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw, a Democrat, said that office had received several form emails signed by different people supporting Caylee’s Law here.

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Another view

Chicago Tribune op-ed: "The Dangers of 'Caylee's Law.' "