Casey Anthony's father found safe; suicide note located

Orlando, Fla. -- The father of Casey Anthony, who is charged with first-degree murder in the death of her daughter, Caylee, has been taken to a hospital for psychiatric evaluation after he was reported missing.

George Anthony was reported missing late Thursday night from his Orange County home but was located a few hours later at the Hawaii motel on U.S. Highway 1 in Daytona Beach.

"He had text-messaged family members that he wanted to end his life," Daytona Beach Police Chief Mike Chitwood said.

Local 6 News in Orlando reported that a suicide note was also found in George Anthony's car. The note is in the possession of the Orange County Sheriff's Office.

"I'm being told by sources close to the investigation that the note included wording like 'I want to go be with Caylee,'" Local 6 News reporter Jessica D'Onofrio said.

George Anthony's wife, Cindy Anthony, and their attorney, Brad Conway, reported him missing after he failed to arrive at a 4 p.m. meeting with them, officials said.

"George has been through a lot. The entire Anthony family has been through a lot. George is OK. Thank God," Conway said. "Had it not been for a cooperative effort between Orange County and Volusia County, I don't know what the outcome would have been."

George Anthony was taken to Halifax Medical Center under the Florida Baker Act, which allows a person to be evaluated if they are deemed as possibly being able to harm themself or others or if they have a mental illness.

Authorities said they used cell phone pings to track George Anthony to the Bethune Point area of Daytona Beach, and his car was later found in the motel parking lot.

No weapons or drugs were found with George Anthony, who is a former Ohio sheriff's deputy. He did have his blood-pressure medication with him.

Conway said Cindy Anthony is OK when asked about her well-being.

"I think I've said this a lot of times. (She's doing) as well as can be expected, but she's good," Conway said. "George is safe, and he's with us, so it's all good."

Trash Bag Link?

Meanwhile, Local 6 News reported Thursday that trash bags taken from the home where Casey Anthony lived with her daughter, Caylee, look the same as the one in which the toddler's remains were found in a nearby wooded area.

Casey Anthony, 22, remains jailed on first-degree murder charges in the death of her daughter. Caylee's remains were found Dec. 11 by an Orange County meter reader in some woods less than a half-mile from the home of George and Cindy Anthony.

Shortly after the discovery, detectives twice searched the Anthony home for any evidence connected to the crime scene. Local 6 News has learned that investigators took plastic bags that look the same as the black trash bag with yellow handles in which Caylee's remains were found.

The trash bag in which Caylee's body was placed is also identical in appearance to a bag Cindy Anthony gave to detectives in July, Local 6 News reported.

Local 6 News has learned that investigators are confident of the connection between the home and the crime scene, but it will take laboratory tests to conclusively link the bag to the one found in the woods.

Caylee was 2 years old when she was reported missing in mid-July, a month after she was last seen alive.

Months ago, a woman was seen taking trash from the curb outside the Anthony home. The trash was in a black plastic trash bag.