Don't get me wrong... I think that whatever happened to Caylee Anthony is terrible. However, I have always wondered why every child (or adult, for that matter) who goes missing or is killed don't get the same attention as her. You don't see the Sheriff's office and the FBI camped out on every single murder scene for days and days sifting through every grain of sand to gather evidence, putting forth this much manpower, time and attention to every murder (assuming that's what happened to Caylee). It has always been something that has frustrated me. It just seems that the more publicity a crime gets, the more goes in to solving it. What about the hundreds of other children that have gone missing or been found dead in the last six months? What about the homeless men, women and children that have been found dead, murdered or gone missing in the last six months? It's just not right.
Blame Nancy Grace for all the media attention. She (the network and her) pick stories that will boost ratings and get more viewers hooked. But I agree every child that is missing like this child should get the same attention if at all possible. My heart goes out to the families that have lost sons and daughters...
I tend to share your perspective on this, and often find myself thinking the same things that you just said. I do think, though, that there might also sometimes be situations in which the converse is true, i.e. that the bigger the effort to solve a crime, the more publicity those efforts get. I think there are some times that massive media interest can be directly helpful, too, and even result in a crime being solved which would otherwise have had little chance. Just thinking aloud, really - not trying to dispute your point at all: for the most part, I completely agree with you.