Criminal Case Files

The 2008 case of Casey Anthony and the death of her 2-year-old daughter Caylee Anthony is infamous. Arguably, anyone of a certain age and living in the U.S. with access to the internet is at least familiar with the case. It remains among the more perplexing cases because there’s no certainty; Casey is a habitual liar, which has been proven time and again, and what happened to Caylee is still heavily debated.

More than seventeen years have since passed. Caylee would have been 20 years old today.

As the trial unfolded, America watched in disbelief as Casey crafted a web of lies, and then created more lies to cover up the original lies. She was a master manipulator disguised in a petite form, which she played to her advantage. Many people found it perplexing that an attractive young woman was potentially capable of causing her daughter’s death—as if appearance is suggestive of culpability.

It was disturbing to see photos of Casey dancing at night clubs, chasing men around, getting a tattoo and living life as if her daughter was never part of it, during the 31 days that Caylee’s disappearance went unreported. Parents nationwide couldn’t understand how Casey compartmentalized her daughter’s disappearance and slip on a mask that prevented anyone from suspecting something was array—until she was forced into a corner. But … did she act alone? Was her speculated involvement in Caylee’s death intentional?

Welcome to what is probably one of the longer deep dives on this blog. Here, we’ll delve in to the case of Caylee Anthony’s disappearance and how Casey Anthony slipped through the (wide open) cracks of the justice system.

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Caylee Anthony Goes Missing: The Backstory

Caylee Marie Anthony was born on August 9, 2005 in Orlando, Florida. Her mother, Casey Anthony, was 19 years old at the time. It’s been said that the name “Caylee” was a combination of Casey and her brother Lee’s names.

Casey claimed her current boyfriend, Jesse Grund, was Caylee’s father; a DNA test proved otherwise. There were also rumors about the father being individuals named Eric Baker, Jesus Ortiz and “Josh.” Nonetheless, Caylee’s father was never named publicly. Casey has since claimed that Caylee’s father died in a motorcycle accident, was in the military, was a childhood acquaintance that passed away, and also that the pregnancy resulted from rape.

After Caylee was born, she and her mom lived with Casey’s parents, Cindy and George Anthony, in a suburban area on Hopespring Drive in Orlando, Florida. George worked the swing shift as a security guard and Cindy worked day shifts as a nurse manager at a local hospital. By all accounts, they loved being grandparents and stepped in to help Casey with Caylee whenever possible. Both have described Casey as the light of their lives on numerous occasions.

The grandparents overstepped their boundaries at times, which led to ongoing arguments between them and Casey, but particularly between Casey and Cindy. The arguments often related to expectations of Casey as a mother. Regardless, Caylee had family who genuinely loved her. Her bedroom was decorated in Winnie the Pooh, which she loved, and she even had a playhouse in the backyard complete with her own “address” and mailbox.

Caylee was bright, doe-eyed and charismatic. She loved watching SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer, and swimming in the family’s aboveground pool. Impressively, Caylee was able to count to 40 in Spanish. She adoringly called George, “Jojo” and Cindy, “Cece.”

By many accounts, Caylee and Casey shared a very close bond. For most of Caylee’s life, one was rarely seen without the other. Casey was known for being very attentive and loving, ensuring her daughter was clean, well fed and nurtured. But as time wore on, Casey began seeking the freedom that aligned more with a childless 22-year-old than a mother.

In summer of 2008, Casey worked as an event planner at Universal Studios; a role that required her to work long hours, late nights and weekends. She previously worked for Kodiak (later Color Vision), a subcontractor for Universal Studios, from 2004 to 2006, which took and sold pictures of patrons on rides. (Despite having begun the manager trainee program, she was fired on April 24, 2006 for job abandonment.) The promotion to event planner was a step forward for Casey.

Because she worked long hours, Casey needed help caring for Caylee. She learned of a local nanny through an ex-boyfriend, Jeffrey Hopkins, who once dated the nanny and and whose son, Zachary, was often left in her care. The nanny, Zenaida Fernandez Gonzalez, lived in Orlando, and quickly became someone Casey trusted with her daughter. Zenaida, known as “Zanny the Nanny,” remained Caylee’s nanny for nearly two years up until her disappearance. According to Casey, Zanny hailed from New York City, moved to Florida for college and settled in Orlando, having moved three times in the general area. She recently cut her hair short, drove a Ford Focus, and had a mother named Gloria, who was sickly, and a roommate named Raquel Ferrel. Casey told an acquaintance that she paid Zanny $400 a week to watch Caylee.

In addition to working full time, in summer 2008 Casey started dating Anthony “Tony” Lazzaro, whom she met on Facebook. Lazzaro was a 21-year-old student studying music at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida, and a promoter for Fusion Ultra Lounge; a sushi bar that became a martini bar at night. It wasn’t long before Casey introduced Lazzaro to Caylee, and mother and daughter went to his off-campus apartment a handful of times together, located at Sutton Place Apartments, also in Winter Park.

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The Lead-Up to Caylee’s Disappearance

As you’ll learn in this post, Caylee Anthony was missing for a total of 31 days before Casey reported her missing. Below, you’ll discover what Casey was doing in Caylee’s absence.

Sun., June 15, 2008

Cindy and Caylee visit Cindy’s father—Casey’s grandfather—at Avante Mt. Dora Nursing and Rehabilitation Center for Father’s Day. Cindy and Caylee subsequently return home and swim in the pool. Meanwhile, Casey spends the day with Lazzaro.

That evening, Casey and Cindy argue about Casey stealing money from her grandparents and/or her not spending enough time with Caylee. Cindy’s concerns about Caylee’s welfare reaches the point where she threatens to gain legal guardianship of her. Casey’s brother, Lee, describes the argument as so intense that Cindy chokes Casey. A neighbor overhears and witnesses Casey yelling, “Fuck you, Mom! I don’t want to hear it anymore.” Then, Casey goes for a jog.

Mon., June 16, 2008

Casey starts her day messaging with a former love interest, Ryan Green, on AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) from 7:56 am to 8:06 am. At 10:27 am, she uploads a photo of the interior of Fusian Ultra Lounge to her Photobucket account.

George alleges that Casey and Caylee leave the Anthony home around 12:50 pm. in Casey’s white 1998 Pontiac Sunfire, with both of them wearing backpacks. Caylee wears a pink shirt, jean shorts, pink socks, white sandals, white sunglasses and a backpack, and has her hair pulled back.

However, phone records show that Casey doesn’t leave the Anthony home until 4:16 pm. Computer usage at the home is heaviest between 2 pm and 3 pm. Both Cindy and George are at work, so it’s assumed that Casey and Caylee return to the home after George leaves, or perhaps they never left at all.

From 4:11 pm to 4:25 pm, Casey calls several people, including her mother, whom she calls six times. At 5:57 pm, she arrives at Lazzaro’s apartment without Caylee, where she stays for the next few weeks. At 7:54 pm, Casey and Lazzaro are seen on surveillance renting movies at a Blockbuster. Lazzaro’s roommates, Nathan Lesniewicz, Cameron Campana and Roy “Clint” House, claim to see Caylee two to three times since Casey starts dating Lazzaro.

Cindy reaches out to Casey shortly after her and Caylee leave to ask about their plans to return. Casey tells her mom that Caylee is with Zanny.

Over the next month, Casey lies about a series of work engagements that prevent her and Caylee from returning home. Zanny lives close to Universal Studios, which makes it convenient for Casey to leave her there. While staying with Lazzaro, Casey helps him with his job as a promoter at Fusion Ultra Lounge, where oversees the shot girls. She also frequently cooks, cleans and does the men’s laundry.

Tues., June 17, 2008

Casey stays at Lazzaro’s apartment until 2 pm. She goes to her parents’ home, arriving at 2:45 pm, during which she backs her car into the garage. She remains at the home until 4:30 pm. No one is present but Casey.

Wed., June 18, 2008

Casey stays at Lazzaro’s apartment until 12:30 pm. She tells Cindy she has a work event at Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida, which keeps her and Caylee away for six days. Nonetheless, between 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm, Casey returns to her parents’ home again and asks a neighbor, Brian Burner, if she can borrow a shovel to dig up a bamboo root in the yard. Again, she backs her car into the garage.

Casey tells her mother that Zanny comes on the trip to Tampa to watch Caylee while Casey attends meetings.

Fri., June 20, 2008

Casey enters the infamous “Hot Body” contest at Fusion Ultra Lounge as a stand-in to encourage others to participate. She tells Cindy she is still attending a conference in Tampa, Florida.

Sat. to Sun., June 21-22, 2008

Casey tells a friend that Caylee is at the beach with Zanny. She continues telling Cindy that she’s in Tampa and staying at the Hard Rock Hotel.

Mon., June 23, 2008

Casey is at Lazzaro’s apartment until around 1:30 pm. Around 2:30 pm, she drives toward her parents’ home but calls Lazzaro at 2:45 pm when her car runs out of gas. Lazzaro finds Casey, picks her up, and brings her to the Anthony home. She asks Lazzaro to break the lock on George’s shed, so she can steal cans of gas.

Tues., June 24, 2008

George discovers his shed lock is broken and his gas cans are missing. He files a police report with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) about the theft.

Around 2:30 pm, Casey goes to her parents and runs in to George. George says he needs to get something out of Casey’s trunk. Casey brushes past him, takes the gas cans and throws them at her father saying, “Here’s your fucking gas cans,” and then gets in her vehicle and leaves. She subsequently calls Cindy to talk about what happened.

When Cindy asks why Casey is in Orlando when she claimed to be in Tampa, she says that Zanny is hospitalized after being in a car accident and she needed to retrieve Zanny’s insurance information from her home on her behalf.

Wed., June 25, 2008

Casey tells her friend Amy Hyzienga—whom she is looking for an apartment with—that her car has a foul smell, which she believes is coming from the engine.

Thurs., June 26, 2008

Casey spends most of the day at Lazzaro’s apartment. When she speaks with Cindy, Casey says Zanny was released from the hospital late and her and Caylee are spending another night at the Hard Rock Hotel in Tampa.

Fri., June 27, 2008

Casey is in the vicinity of her parents’ house around 11:30 am, where she remains for the next half-hour. She texts Hyzienga about an animal being plastered to the frame of her car.

Casey’s car runs out of gas again, this time at an Amscott in University Boulevard in Orlando. She calls Lazzaro to pick her up. When he arrives, she is holding a large grocery bag of food she collected from her parents’ house.

At 2:51 pm, Lazzaro and Casey are seen at J.C. Penny’s, where he purchases sneakers. That night, the couple goes to Fusion Ultra Lounge.

Sat. to Sun., June 28-29, 2008

Casey tells Cindy that she and Caylee are still at the Hard Rock Hotel in Tampa. Instead, Casey spends time with Lazzaro, during which they visit a Blockbuster and rent a movie.

Mon., June 30, 2008

Lazzaro has a planned trip to his home state of New York. Casey drives Lazzaro to the airport using his car and subsequently visits a Target store with Hyzienga.

Later that day, Casey’s car is impounded and brought to Johnson’s Wrecker in Orlando.

When Cindy asks for Caylee, Casey says she is working late and claims that Caylee is now with Jennifer Rosa, a relative of Zanny’s, and they are at Universal Studios.

Tues., July 1, 2008

With Lazzaro in New York, Casey spends the night at the apartment of her ex-fiancé, Jesse Grund. Caylee is not with her.

She initially shows up at Grund’s apartment to shower around 4 pm or 5 pm, and then meets Huizenga at J.C. Penny’s and subsequently visits Ale House, a popular bar in Orlando.

Wed., July 2, 2008

Casey visits a Ross clothing store and makes a tattoo appointment. That night, she visits two night clubs, Club Voyage and Mako, and sleeps at Huizenga’s apartment. When Huizenga asks about Caylee, she says Caylee is at the park, which is also what she tells her mother Cindy.

Thurs., July 3, 2008

Cindy drives to Universal Studios in attempts to get ahold of Casey and/or see Caylee, because Casey told her that Caylee was attending a character breakfast. After Cindy arrives, Casey tells her that she and Caylee are now in Jacksonville, Florida, visiting Jeffrey Hopkins to rekindle a relationship. She texts her ex-fiance Grund saying not to respond to potential texts from her family because they are “crazy.” She also goes shopping at the Florida Mall in South Orlando with an acquaintance, Melissa England.

That same day, Casey gets the now-infamous tattoo, “bella vita” on her left shoulder blade. The tattoo is Italian for “beautiful life.”

That night, Cindy shares a MySpace post titled, “My Caylee is missing.” Her only friend on MySpace is Casey and she makes the post to attract her attention. Cindy also reaches out to her son, Lee, for help tracking down Casey.

Lee does some online sleuthing and discovers Casey will likely be at a night club in Orlando. He goes with his then-girlfriend (now wife) Mallorie Parker to look for Casey, but someone catches wind of Lee and tells Casey, who hightails it out of the area to avoid confrontation.

Fri., July 4, 2008

Casey tells Cindy that she and Caylee are still in Jacksonville, and tells Grund that Caylee is at SeaWorld.

Rather, Casey is at the home of a new friend, William Walters, helping him and Hyzienga plan a Fourth of July party at Lake Lineola. She drinks, watches fireworks and has a great time.

Sat., July 5, 2008

Casey goes to IKEA with Walters, under the guise that she is looking for furniture for her and Hyzienga’s future apartment. She also has lunch with Walters. She then meets up with Lazzaro, who returns to Orlando, has dinner with him at Buffalo Wild Wings and watches a UFC fight.

When Cindy calls, Casey tells her that her car broke down in Jacksonville, leaving her and Caylee stuck at Hopkins’ house for a few more days. She says Caylee is playing with Hopkins’ son, Zachary.

Fri., July 11, 2008

Casey goes to Fusion Ultra Lounge.

Sat., July 12, 2008

Casey goes to a Win Dixie at 9:30 pm.

Sun., July 13, 2008

Casey tells Cindy that she and Caylee have to stay in Jacksonville longer to attend the wedding of Hopkins’ mother, Jules.

Tues., July 15, 2008

Cindy and George receive a letter in the mail about Casey’s vehicle being impounded. Cindy and George retrieve Casey’s car and attempt to contact her without luck. By their accounts, the vehicle has a strong smell akin to garbage.

Meanwhile, Casey drives Huizenga’s car, as she is in Puerto Rico on vacation. Casey calls the tattoo shop to make another appointment and cashes a check at Bank of America around 1:30 pm. She then drives to the airport to pick up Huizenga and Ricardo Morales—an ex-boyfriend she dated in winter and spring of 2008—all the while speaking to Erika Gonzalez, a shot girl at Fusion Ultra Lounge, and pretending she is with Caylee.

Cindy searches Casey’s car for clues about what’s going on. In the car she finds Casey’s work bag, which contains Huizenga’s contact information. Cindy never met Huizenga, but nonetheless calls her, tells her what’s going on and asks to pick her up. Huizenga agrees and confirms that Casey is in Orlando living with Lazzaro, and she never left the area in past month as she claimed.

Cindy goes to Lazzaro’s apartment with Huizenga, where she finds Casey but not Caylee. She demands Casey take her to see Caylee, and they drive around for two hours before Cindy calls the police.

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Caylee is Reported Missing; Casey is Arrested and the Investigation Begins

Below is the timeline that follows Cindy Anthony’s phone call to 9-1-1.

Tues., July 15, 2008

Cindy places several calls to 9-1-1. First, she asks police to arrest Casey for grand theft auto. Next, she reports Caylee missing.

During one of these phone calls, she makes the now-infamous statement:

“There is something wrong. I found my daughter’s car today and it smells like there’s been a dead body in the damn car.”

Cindy puts Casey on the phone at the request of the 9-1-1 operator. Casey sounds agitated. Casey tells her mother and the operator that Zanny took Caylee, and that she spoke with Caylee briefly that day, but the phone number is no longer in service. When asked why she waited 31 days to report her daughter missing, Casey says:

“I have been looking for her and have gone through other resources to try and find her, which is stupid.”

Casey later tells investigators that she was introduced to Zanny through Hopkins, who uses the nanny’s services for his son. Investigators identify an individual named Jeffrey Hopkins, a former middle school acquaintance of Casey’s, who lives in Orlando. Though Hopkins worked for Universal Studios in 2002, he doesn’t recall seeing Casey there. In fact, Hopkins has no children, doesn’t know anyone named Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez, doesn’t have a trust fund (as Casey told her mother), never dated Casey, and never lived in Jacksonville.

Wed., July 16, 2008

Police seize Casey’s vehicle. Cadaver dogs pick up the scent of human decomposition in Casey’s trunk and in the Anthony’s backyard, near Caylee’s playhouse. Forensic testing confirms the presence of decomposition in Casey’s trunk the next day.

Casey is arrested on charges of child neglect, giving false statements and obstruction for lying about Caylee’s whereabouts. She is brought in for questioning and speaks with Detective John Allen, former sergeant with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division. While Casey fills out paperwork she and Detective Allen engage in small talk, during which she mostly speaks of her aspirations to become a personal trainer. She does not speak about Caylee.

Zanny and Hopkins Don’t Exist

Casey tells Detective Allen that Caylee was last seen with Zanny. Police ask Casey to direct them to Zanny’s residence and she brings them to a unit at the Sawgrass Apartments that was vacant for 142 days. (Casey is familiar with the complex because it’s where her former best friend, Annie Downing, once lived.) She is unable to provide Zanny’s phone number because she claims to have lost her phone at work.

Police learn that no one named Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez ever lived at the Sawgrass Apartments. A woman with the same name is located in Orlando, but police confirm there no connection to Casey or Caylee. The real Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez had filled out a visitor form to look at an apartment in the complex, but she never lived there. Having found that Casey created a fictional version of Hopkins, they are highly suspicious of her statements about Zanny.

Casey Doesn’t Work at Universal Studios

Detective Yuri Melich contacts Leonard Turtya, assistant manager at the Loss Prevention Department at Universal Studios, to inquire about Casey’s job. It’s determined that Casey is not an employee and never was, though she worked for Kodiak (later Color Vision), a subcontractor of Universal Studios, from 2004 to 2006. Police also learn that other colleagues Casey mentioned did not work there either, including Juliette Lewis and Cheryl Davis, and perhaps never existed.

Detective Allen and Detective Appling Wells pick up Casey to bring her to Universal Studios. She meets with Detective Melich and and Turtua in the employee parking lot. Casey leads them to a building and down a hallway, all the while waving to other people working there. When she reaches the end of the hallway, Casey turns around, puts her hands in her pockets and, with a smile, declares she she doesn’t work there. She is subsequently brought into a conference room, where she is interrogated.

Casey is arrested and charged with child neglect, making false official statements, and obstructing an investigation. Bail is set at $500,000, with her father’s claims of Casey’s vehicle smelling like a dead body—George Anthony previously worked in law enforcement—serving as incriminating evidence.

Wed., Aug. 20, 2008

The high-profile nature of the case draws the attention of Leonard Padilla, a bounty hunter from California. Padilla pays Casey’s bond with the intent that if Casey is not in jail, she can better aid in the search for Caylee.

Fri., Aug. 29, 2008

The bond is rescinded when Casey is arrested for stealing and cashing four checks worth about $650 from Huizenga.

Tues., Oct. 14, 2008

Casey is indicted on seven criminal charges, including first-degree murder. She enters a not-guilty plea.

Fri., Jan. 23, 2009

Due to the stress wrought on George by the investigation—the loss of his granddaughter coupled with Casey’s allegations of sexual abuse, which he has and continues to refute—George is hospitalized after a suicide attempt. He is found in a Daytona Beach, Florida, hotel, alongside a five-page suicide note and under the influence of medication and alcohol.

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Caylee’s Remains are Found

On December 11, 2008, five months after Caylee disappeared, her skeletal remains are discovered in a wooded area off Suburban Drive, less than 0.3 miles from the Anthony home and within site of the local elementary school. Her body is discovered by Roy Kronk, a meter reader for Orange County, Florida. Deputy Edward Turso reports to the scene and confirm skeletal remains.

Because Caylee’s body was exposed to the elements for six months, it wasn’t possible to determine the cause of death; nonetheless, many clues were still gathered at the scene. On December 20, 2008, the medical examiner rules Caylee’s death a homicide due to the handling and location of the body.

Caylee is found with three pieces of overlapping duct tape covering her nose and mouth, and wrapped around her jaw. Overtop the duct tape that is placed on her mouth is a heart sticker. The same brand of duct tape, which is not widely available, is found in the Anthony home and on gas cans in the garage. Stickers matching the one on the duct tape are found in the Anthony home. The body is wrapped in a Winnie the Pooh blanket—the same blanket that was missing from the Anthony home—and placed inside two plastic bags, which are placed inside a laundry canvas bag and put behind a rotting log. The laundry bag comes in a set of two, and the matching bag is located in the Anthony home.

Curiously, Kronk initially contacts the Orange County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) on August 11, 2008 to report a suspicious gray bag in a wooded area off Suburban Drive. An officer arrives at the scene, but doesn’t thoroughly investigate. Plagued by a bad feeling, Kronk calls again on August 12, 2008, to report the same gray bag. This time, Deputy Elizabeth Collins responds, but she does not enter the wooded area. Determined, Kronk calls again on August 13, 2008 and meets with Deputy Richard Cain, who briefly searches the area but claims the bag is trash.

Because of the failure to thoroughly investigate the scene earlier, an internal investigation is launched into Deputy Cain.

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The Murder Trial

The trial of Florida vs. Casey Anthony begins on May 24, 2011. It is heavily watched, publicized and scrutinized.

Finding jurors is a major challenge because most people are familiar with the case. Instead of finding jurors who never heard of Casey or Caylee Anthony, the court selects jurors who state they are unbiased. The trial goes on for six weeks and is overseen by Belvin Perry, former chief judge in Florida’s Ninth Judicial Circuit.

The Prosecution

The prosecution, led by Assistant State Attorney Linda Drane Burdick and supported by Assistsnt State Attorneys Frank George and Jeff Ashton, paint a picture of Casey as a young mother who wants to freely party, date, and live on her own accord, and who intentionally killed her daughter via suffocation to relieve herself of the responsibilities of motherhood. Having found searches for “chloroform” and “neck breaking” on the family’s computer when Casey was home, the prosecution alleges that Casey used chloroform to suffocate Caylee, after which she placed duct tape on her nose and mouth.

Assistant State Attorney Linda Drane Burdick tells the court:

“As difficult as it may be for anyone to accept that a mother would intentionally kill her own child — from the evidence you will hear in this case there is no other conclusion that can be drawn,” Burdick said. “No one but Casey Anthony had access to all the pieces of evidence in this case … no one else lied to their friends, to their family, to the investigators. No one else benefited from the death of Caylee Marie Anthony.”

The prosecution notes several others points of evidence, which include:

• human hair found in the trunk of Casey’s car, which is traced to the Anthony’s female lineage via mitochondrial DNA testing: the hair displayed root banding, which is a distinct band of discoloration consistent with decomposition
• a high presence of chloroform in the trunk of Casey’s car, although it is uncertain whether it was used to subdue Caylee or was simply present in cleaning products
• a stained paper towel found in the trunk of Casey’s car, which contained fly pupa; the stain is identified as grave wax, produced from the decomposition of human fat
• the presence of 41 of 424 compounds associated with decomposition in the trunk of Casey’s car
• the fabrication of Zanny the Nanny
• the same duct tape used to cover Caylee’s mouth also found in the Anthony household
• several computer searches on the Anthony family computer for “chloroform”, “neck breaking”, “hydrogen peroxide death”, “how to make chloroform”, “household weapons”, “inhalation chloroform,” “alcohol acetone”, “hydrogen peroxide death”, “shovel”, “making weapons out of household objects”, and “chloroform habit” on various dates in March 2008

On June 23, 2011, Cindy Anthony takes the stand to refute some of the prosecutor’s arguments. She testifies that she searched “chloroform” on the family computer—despite her being at work at the time. She claims that her dogsn ate bamboo leaves and she was curious if there were any ill effects.

The Defense

The defense, led by Attorney Jose Baez—who later defended Aaron Hernandez and Harvey Weinstein—and co-counsel James Cheney Mason, claim that Caylee accidentally drowned in the family pool and George helped cover up her death. To argue their point, the defense notes the following:

• Zanny the Nanny was fabricated and Casey lied to police throughout the investigation as a result of having learned to lie throughout her life from her father, George Anthony, who sexually molested her as a child
• no fingerprints are found on the duct tape found on Caylee’s person
• no blood seen or found on Casey’s belongings

It is evident that Casey lied throughout the investigation and for years prior, and the defense doesn’t dismiss her behavior patterns; however, reasoning is given as to why Casey lied so often. During the trial, Casey claims her father and older brother, Lee, sexually abused and molested her as a child. The claims are never proven and George and Lee denied them claims and have ever since. Casey claims these memories resurfaced when she was incarcerated and awaiting trial. To support her claim, she says that she never allowed Caylee to be alone with George (false) and she ensured Caylee slept with her so George didn’t have access to her. Casey also claims George assisted her with disposing Caylee’s body, which he has also adamantly refused.

Casey is Found Not Guilty

On July 5, 2011, after 10 hours of deliberation, Casey is found not guilty of first-degree murder, manslaughter or child abuse. She is convicted on four counts of lying to police; all misdemeanor charges. On July 7, Casey is sentenced to four years in jail and a $4,000 fine, one for each charge, and she is ordered to pay the $213,000 to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office to pay for the cost of the search for Caylee. Because Casey was previously incarcerated and earned reduced time for good behavior, she is released from Orange County Jail just 10 days later. Casey is free to go.

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Casey’s Inconsistencies

Below are some inconsistencies in Casey’s statements that are worthy of note:

• Casey claimed memories of George sexually abusing her resurfaced in jail—but she also claimed that Caylee was never alone with him and slept with Casey, with the door locked, so George wouldn’t have access to her—which was before the memories “resurfaced.” She also believed George “was with” Caylee during the entire 31 days she was “missing,” and told George on a jailhouse phone call that he was “the best grandpa.” So, which one is it?
• Casey claimed George took and disposed of Caylee’s body, but how does this explain the presence of chloroform, coffin flies, decomposition material, and a hair with root banding inside of Casey’s trunk, coupled with the smell, if Caylee was never inside?
• Casey claimed that Caylee drowned in the pool, but she was found with duct tape over her mouth and nose, in what appeared to be a staged homicide. If her death was accidental, why the attempt to make it look intentional?
• Casey claimed the last time she saw Caylee was when she dropped her off at the bottom of the stairs at the Sawgrass Apartment Complex leading up to Zanny’s apartment. She later claimed that she met Zanny in a park, and Zanny aggressively threw her down and took Caylee from her. (Either way, Zanny was fictional.)
• Casey claimed to have slept late on the morning of Caylee’s alleged disappearance because she didn’t feel well, but phone and computer records showed she was up late texting and talking to Lazzaro, and awake early messaging on AIM and using the internet.
• Casey claimed in Part I of the 2022 Peacock documentary that there “is no such thing as good sleep for her.” In a 2017 interview with the Associated Press, she stated, “I don’t give a shit what anyone thinks of me. I never will. I’m OK with myself. I sleep pretty good at night.”

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“Most-Hated Mom in America”: The Aftermath

Even though Casey was found not guilty, she remains guilty in the eyes of public opinion and across social media. Her case occurred at a unique time when social media, particularly MySpace, was extremely popular, which allowed people to post and share about their thoughts on the trial.

After the trial, Casey went into hiding, avoiding public places due to the intense scrutiny and obvious hatred from the general public. Even though the jury determined there wasn’t enough evidence to convict her, the public remained convinced that Caylee’s disappearance and death was Casey’s fault—and her behavior through the investigation and trial didn’t dissuade their beliefs.

After the trial ended, Casey’s defense team was worried about her safety. She had nowhere to go and wasn’t going to return to living with her parents due to the allegations made against George and extreme family divide. Instead, Casey stayed with Patrick McKenna, the lead investigator on her case, and worked for him for the next 10+ years. McKenna, a high-profile private investigator, previously worked on the OJ Simpson case.

2015

The real Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez, a 42-year-old mother of six, filed a defamation lawsuit against Casey in 2008, claiming her reputation was smeared. In 2015, the lawsuit was dismissed.

2016

In 2016, Casey launched her own photography business, Case Photography, LLC in West Palm Beach, Florida. The business shut down three years later.

2017

In March, Casey gave an interview to the Associated Press. In the interview, she said: “I’m OK with myself, I sleep pretty good at night.”

Casey also said, “I understand the reasons people feel about me. I understand why people have the opinions that they do. I’m still not even certain as I stand here today about what happened.”

2020

In December 2020, Casey submitted paperwork to start a private investigation business, Case Research & Consulting Services LLC. Her paperwork was denied, as Casey didn’t have a private investigator license to operate in the state of Florida and wouldn’t be able to obtain one due to formerly being charged with a felony.

2022

Casey appears in a three-part docuseries that aired on Peacock, Casey Anthony: Where the Truth Lies. In the docuseries, she claims that Caylee drowned in the pool and George helped to cover up the accident.

2024

On January 24, 2024, Cindy and George agree to take polygraph tests on camera as part of an A&E series Casey Anthony’s Parents: The Lie Detector Test.

2025

Casey resurfaced on TikTok, announcing the launch of her TikTok and Substack newsletter, and her status as a legal advocate.

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Caylee’s Law

In the aftermath of Caylee’s death and the subsequent trial, the term “Caylee’s Law,” was created in reference to various states making it a felony for parents and/or caregivers to fail to report a child missing if there is awareness or speculation of the child being in danger.

The following states have enforced an iteration of Caylee’s Law:

• Alabama
• Connecticut
• Florida
• Illinois
• Kansas
• Louisiana
• New Jersey
• North Carolina
• Oklahoma
• South Dakota
• Virginia
• Wisconsin

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Sources

• CNN — ‘What really happened?’: The Casey Anthony case 10 years later
• BBC News — ‘America’s most hated mom’ breaks silence
• People — Casey Anthony’s Case: A Timeline of Her Murder Trial and Life After Acquittal
• Good Morning America — Casey Anthony Trial: Caylee’s Mom Created a World of Made-Up People
• Crime Timelines — The Case Against Casey Anthony
• ABC News — Casey Anthony Trial: Former Boyfriend Describes Casey Anthony Romance
• Crime Weekly, Parts 1-7 – Caylee Anthony
• Timesuck – Casey Anthony | Free and Guilty?
• CBS — Casey Anthony Trial: In a new book, defense attorney Jose Baez makes the case for his client’s innocence