What Casey Anthony Is Doing Today
The following article includes references to murder and child abuse allegations.
Casey Anthony became "one of the most hated women in America," per People, when she was accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee. For a quick refresher, Anthony infamously reported Caylee as missing 31 days after the toddler's disappearance in 2008; Caylee's remains were eventually found in the woods near Anthony's home in Florida; Anthony was charged with murder; and her resulting 2011 trial was hotly contested and heavily followed, with good reason. It featured a young, female defendant with an allegedly colorful history; a young child whose life ended in tragedy; and a slew of scandals and dark rumors.
Though Anthony was convicted on four counts of lying to the police, she was ultimately acquitted of the murder charge, which caused numerous protests and a media frenzy that has since died down. The jury found her not guilty after six weeks based on a lack of evidence around the actual circumstances of the toddler's disappearance and murder, despite many members of the public objecting to her walking free. "The key question can never be answered, it can never be proven, and that is: 'How did Caylee die?'" her defense lawyer, Jose Baez, said in his closing remarks (via the New York Daily News), emphasizing that the burden of proof was on the prosecution, and the jurors seemed to agree with him.
Where is "Tot Mom" after all these years? Let's find out.
Casey Anthony filed for bankruptcy
Casey Anthony reportedly filed for bankruptcy in 2013, claiming $1,084 in assets and more than $792,000 in debt. People reported that Anthony didn't have much money coming in, either. "She can't hold a real job. ... She's got enough money to live, but not enough to really do anything," a source claimed. "She sort of lives like an old person, on a fixed income without much going on in her life." By 2016, Anthony was living in South Florida and reportedly receiving money from members of her legal team.
Her attorney, Cheney Mason, told Radar that he was supporting her financially. Mason previously told CNN that Anthony had worked as a "housekeeper, clerk, secretary and stuff like that" but was finding little steady work. In fact, according to the National Enquirer, things allegedly got so dire that Anthony acted as Mason's live-in housekeeper and nanny in 2014.
Radar further reported that Anthony's bankruptcy case was discharged in 2015. That same year, she listed $474 in assets and $200 worth of jewelry. That said, People previously reported that Anthony was maintaining a comfortable lifestyle regardless of her finances. "She has a few benefactors that are enamored with her and send her things," a source claimed. "They pay for everything."
She started a photography business
In an attempt to be self-sufficient, Casey Anthony reportedly launched a photography business called Case Photography. According to the Daily Mail, Anthony registered the business in West Palm Beach, Florida at the home of private detective Pat McKenna's address. The outlet spotted Anthony taking photos in her town with a Canon SLR camera in 2016. Unfortunately for Anthony, angry followers of her trial who were outraged at her not-guilty verdict reportedly bombarded all of the social media pertaining to her business with negative reviews and harassing comments. A source cited by People at the time claimed that Anthony had very few projects and wasn't hired for many events.
She officially closed down the business in 2018 after less than three years, as Radar reported. The Florida Secretary of State's Office granted Anthony's request to ultimately dissolve Case Photography in May of that year, while she was openly struggling with money issues, and she hasn't shown any signs of professionally returning to the world of photography.
Casey Anthony's not speaking to anyone in her family
In 2016, a source told People that Casey Anthony was allegedly estranged from her entire family. "They don't really talk," an insider said of Casey and her parents, George and Cindy Anthony. "She has spoken with her mother a few times, but she doesn't talk to her dad at all." She was also apparently absent from her brother, Lee Anthony's, wedding in 2012. Their estrangement may stem from her legal team's past allegation that Lee molested her when they were children.
However, an insider close to the Anthony family also previously told People that her estrangement was reportedly the result of her family not wanting to serve as a safety net anymore. "She is surrounded by enablers. No one makes her pull her own weight. No one makes her accountable," the source claimed. "That's what got her into this mess in the first place. I, for one, don't feel the least bit sorry for her."
If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.
Her life reportedly became 'boring' and reclusive
According to People, Casey Anthony was living as a recluse following her 2011 acquittal. "Not much is going on in her life. She gets up each day, hangs around, checks the internet, takes some pictures, and doesn't do much ... and she doesn't really make a lot of friends, for obvious reasons," a source claimed to the magazine in 2016. "When people find out about her history, they usually bail on her." The insider also claimed Anthony had only gone on a couple of dates by this point, adding, "She's bored and complains about boredom all the time."
Her attorney, Cheney Mason, previously told CNN that Anthony didn't have the freedom to entertain herself the way most other people in the world can, such as dining out, enjoying a salon day, or going on a shopping spree. "I think Casey has a lot of world left to have to deal with. She hasn't been freed from her incarceration yet 'cause she can't go out," he said. "... She can't do anything."
However, things seemed to change for Anthony in 2019, when another source cited by People claimed that she had returned to the partying circuit. "She believes she has done her penance," the insider alleged. "... She's dating around, meeting new people and finally creating a social life."
Casey Anthony's weird relationship with her legal team
Most defendants don't have such a close relationship with their attorneys. In addition to the aforementioned reports about Casey Anthony working as her lawyer's housekeeper and nanny, Radar alleged in 2016 that detective Dominic Casey had accused Anthony of having a sexual relationship with defense attorney Jose Baez because she couldn't afford to pay him money for his work. Baez adamantly denied the accusation and threatened to sue Casey.
Meanwhile, the Daily Mail reported that Anthony was particularly close with another member of her defense — private investigator Patrick McKenna. While the tab claimed that Anthony's driver's license was registered at McKenna's address, Anthony herself said in her 2017 interview with AP News that she was also working for McKenna "doing online social media searches and other investigative work." It's a job she felt passionate about at the time. "I love the fact that I have a unique perspective and I get a chance to do for other people what so many others have done for me," Anthony said, adding that she'd like to "get a private investigator's license and work for a defense team."
She's long claimed she doesn't know what happened to Caylee
Ever since her 2011 acquittal, Casey Anthony has continued to maintain that she still has no memory of Caylee's death. "I'm still not even certain as I stand here today about what happened," she told AP News in a rare 2017 interview (via the New York Post). "Based off what was in the media, I understand ... why people have the opinions that they do."
While Anthony admitted that she lied to police (for which she was found guilty in court, as previously mentioned), she also claimed that telling them the truth most likely wouldn't have changed anything in terms of her subsequent legal battle. "I hate to say this but ... cops believe other cops," she said, noting her general distrust of authorities. "Cops tend to victimize the victims." As far as what happened to Caylee, Anthony said of the ongoing theories from various parties, "As I stand here today, I can't tell you one way or another." She further insisted, "The last time I saw my daughter, I believed she was alive and was going to be OK, and that's what was told to me."
Anthony echoed this sentiment in the November 2022 Peacock documentary "Casey Anthony: Where the Truth Lies," per InTouch.
Casey Anthony may still be pointing fingers at her family
In March 2017, Casey Anthony alleged to AP News that her father, George Anthony, might not be trustworthy. "Cops lie to people everyday. I'm just one of the unfortunate idiots who admitted they lied," she insisted, reflecting on her own legal case. "My dad was a cop. You can read into that what you want to."
After Casey's interview went viral, her father's attorney released a statement to People condemning his daughter for insinuating that he may have played a role in Caylee's disappearance and death. The statement said, in part, "George, who has continued to try and move forward from this tragedy and who was vindicated on multiple occasions, is once again forced to relive the hints, rumors, lies and allegations that are being made by Casey Anthony." George also declared that "his heart hurts even more now" in light of these accusations.
Fast forward to November 2022, when Casey once again pointed fingers at her dad. "My father kept telling me she was ok. I had to keep following his instructions," she stated in the Peacock documentary "Casey Anthony: Where the Truth Lies" (via People), claiming that she last saw Caylee alive with George. "He told me what to do. I tried to act as normal as I could."
Casey Anthony has denied wanting any more kids
In the second part of Casey Anthony's headline-making interview with AP News in 2017, she told the outlet that she would probably never bring another child into the world. "[Caylee] is still the central part of my life, the central part of my being, always will be," she said of her late daughter. "If I am blessed enough to have another child — if I'd be dumb enough to bring another kid into this world knowing that there'd be a potential that some jacka**, their little snot-nose kid would then say something mean to my kid — I don't think I could live with that."
In 2019, however, a source close to Anthony claimed to People that she may be changing her mind as she gets older. Insisting that Anthony was reconsidering her life plans as a woman in her thirties, the insider claimed that she enjoyed the idea of building a normal family life. Of its apparent appeal, the source explained, "She'd want things to be less dysfunctional than the family she had growing up, but she likes the idea of stability."
She reportedly tried to stop an explosive interview from coming out
Although Casey Anthony willingly participated in multiple interviews with AP News over the course of a week in 2017, as previously mentioned, she apparently later attempted to block the story from coming out, per the New York Post. After the interview was conducted, she reportedly continued speaking with the reporter through text messages, urging them not to publish it.
"During the course of my bankruptcy, the rights to my story were purchased by a third party company for $25k to protect my interests," she explained in the alleged texts, referring to her ongoing bankruptcy court case. Anthony added that "without written authorization from the controlling members of this company," she wasn't allowed to discuss her case in public at all. Anthony also reportedly told the outlet that she'd violated a confidentiality agreement with her employer and was still under a subpoena and subject to giving depositions in her bankruptcy case.
The interview brought fresh attention to Anthony, who was already facing vitriol from the public. "I don't give a s*** about what anyone thinks about me, I never will," she stated defiantly to AP News. "I'm OK with myself, I sleep pretty good at night."
The judge in Casey Anthony's case spoke out against her
Though Casey Anthony was acquitted of first-degree murder, the mystery surrounding the circumstances of Caylee's death remain. With Anthony's continued insistence that she has no recollection of what happened, theories have continued to surface. One theory that has picked up traction, thanks to Judge Belvin Perry, who presided over the murder trial, was the allegation that Anthony accidentally killed Caylee when she used chloroform in an attempt to quiet the child.
Speaking with the Orlando Sentinel in 2017, Perry said, "There was a possibility that she may have utilized that to keep the baby quiet ... and just used too much of it, and the baby died." He added, "That's just one of the many theories as to how this beautiful young lady [Caylee] tragically met her death." Perry was speaking generally about what could possibly have happened, but then he said, "As I've expressed, the only person that really knows what happened was Casey."
That seems to imply that, at best, Perry might not believe Anthony's continued claim that she has no memory of her child's death — and, at worst, he may feel that she was personally responsible, and that the prosecution just couldn't prove it.
She was spotted playing with someone's baby at a restaurant
In May 2017, TMZ published photos of a seemingly happy Casey Anthony playing with a baby in a restaurant. According to sources cited by the gossip site, "The infant is the grandson of a veteran NBC producer who has gotten close to Anthony." On top of the general outrage that many online detractors expressed at just the thought of Anthony being near a child, the image of what appeared to be an empty pitcher of alcohol on the table sparked further backlash.
Nancy Grace, who spent much of her HLN career scrutinizing Anthony's case, addressed the photos on her podcast "Crime Stories with Nancy Grace" (via People). "Three things that don't mix: booze, tot mom Casey Anthony, and babies," Grace said. "You know what? Tot Mom, have at it. Drink all you want, but then when you add a baby to the mix, and you put the baby in tot mom's arms? She was just tried for murdering her child! It's not a good look."
Casey Anthony was sued for defamation
Roy Kronk is the utility worker who discovered Caylee's remains in a wooded area behind the Anthony home when he was there to read the meter. The trial brought him a lot of unwanted attention, and in late 2011, Kronk sued Casey Anthony. His lawyers claimed that her defense team "accused him of involvement in Caylee's death" and "described him as a killer, a child snatcher and morally bankrupt, and accused him of finding and keeping Caylee's body and then placing the remains where they were found," reported Reuters.
Kronk's defamation suit lasted for years as a result of being put on hold and then moved to bankruptcy court after Anthony filed Chapter 7 and made her financial troubles a matter of public record in 2013, according to the New York Daily News. Anthony's lawyer, David L. Schrader, then filed for yet another extension partially due to his own health issues in 2017.
Casey Anthony won her court case against Roy Kronk
Roy Kronk's defamation suit against Casey Anthony lasted years, as previously mentioned, but it was eventually thrown out of court in 2019. Although he appealed the verdict, it was upheld the following year, as the Miami Herald reported. "In sum, there is no evidence in the record of Anthony affirmatively directing her attorneys to make statements to the media implicating Kronk in the crime," the judge stated. "Nor is there even any evidence that Anthony knew her attorneys were doing so."
Per the Daily Mail, Anthony shared her relief with the outlet through direct messages after the result. "It is finally over. It has been a long road," she reflected, insisting that she had only made it through the trial thanks to her belief in God and had always believed the case would be dismissed. Anthony also spoke on behalf of her late child, adding: "This is what Cays would have wanted ... not this witch-hunt that has followed me since my acquittal."
"Now maybe others will move on," Anthony continued, referring to the public backlash that had followed her. "If not, then they are making it all about them for attention.. not my daughter!"
She attended an anti-Trump protest
Casey Anthony was spotted in February 2017 at a protest outside of then-President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. According to WPTV, Anthony joined a march against the Republican POTUS organized by South Florida Activism and Women's March Florida PBC. Anthony declined to be interviewed on camera but told WPTV that she is "against what President Trump is doing."
As Mercury News reported, Donald and his wife, Melania Trump, were holding a charity fundraiser at their Palm Beach property on that night and had welcomed Florida politicians and socialites to their lavishly decorated home. The "Vienna to Versailles" themed gala was held to raise money for the Red Cross, as per usual, but members of the press were shut out from the event for the first time in 2017. Following Trump's controversial election, similar protests had sprung up across the country, leading to hundreds of arrests — so Anthony wasn't alone in her sentiment.
Casey Anthony's dad doesn't want to see or talk to her
After Casey Anthony's shocking allegations against her dad during her criminal trial, it seemed unlikely that their relationship could be repaired. In October 2017, her father told "Crime Watch Daily" that he wanted her to stay out of his life. "I don't have a relationship with my daughter." George Anthony told Chris Hansen. "I'm going to be very blunt with this: No, I don't want to see her, I don't want to talk to her." He added that he lost both his daughter and his granddaughter through this tragedy, although George has also stated that Caylee has visited him since her passing. "I've seen Caylee on a couple of occasions," he insisted. "It wasn't a dream. That's not an imagination. That's love, and that's a connection that I wish more people could have."
Her mother, Cindy Anthony, said she keeps in touch with her daughter "to some degree," noting that Casey "called and checked in on me when she heard I was in the hospital. ... I mean, I am still her mom." But in March 2022, she declared that Casey "put them through hell" in a new crime show called "Crime Scene Confidential," per People. "What the eff was she thinking?" Cindy asked, reflecting on the circumstances of Caylee's death. "Why the heck didn't she tell us? Why didn't she call somebody? None of this would've happened."
George Anthony believes she knows how Caylee died
During his 2017 interview with "Crime Watch Daily," George Anthony stated that he believes his daughter knows what happened to Caylee. "My gut feeling inside as a father, as a grandfather, I believe Caylee was given something and she didn't wake up," he alleged, adding, "Do I feel [Casey] took my granddaughter's life? I don't want to believe that. But I believe Casey is the only person who can answer that." George also said he never got the chance to ask his daughter outright if she killed Caylee, while going on to allege, "I don't think she intentionally wanted to, but she should be in jail because of Caylee not being here."
George previously suggested that Casey could have given her child an accidental Xanax overdose in a 2011 interview, according to Reuters, further claiming on an episode of "Dr. Phil" that his daughter may have done this in order "to go out and have a good time, to be with friends, to have this life that she didn't have with Caylee."
Casey Anthony's mom thinks she's 'mentally ill'
"I think Casey is mentally ill," Cindy Anthony told "Crime Watch Daily" in October 2017, explaining that when her daughter was out on bond and living in the family home, Cindy apparently discovered her having a seizure in her room. Casey Anthony had no recollection of what supposedly transpired. Could she have had a blackout during Caylee's death? For her part, Cindy claimed, "To me, that's a possibility. And she doesn't remember when she has seizures unless she knows she's bit her tongue or something. I'm not sure if she didn't have a seizure that day and blacked out and found Caylee in the pool."
"I truly, honestly don't think she killed her," Cindy went on to state. "... I don't know if it was an accident or what happened."
It's worth noting that, according to CBS News, Casey was interviewed by psychiatrists before the trial who found her upbeat and lucid. "I did not find any evidence of an active mental illness," one psychiatrist declared. "It was my opinion that she was competent to proceed."
If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.
She might still write a book
Many people have made money by writing about Casey Anthony's trial, and it looks like she's thought about joining their ranks.
The Los Angeles Examiner first reported that Anthony was considering a book deal in 2011 and had promised to uncover the identity of Caylee's father, per CBS News, although publishers apparently demanded that she use a ghostwriter. After paying her various legal fees, the money from a book advance would have been life-changing for the young woman: ABC News estimated that she could have been offered more than $750,000. In her letters from jail, Anthony wrote about publishing a "partial memoir/comedy/relationship advice book for those not in the know," adding that it would be "a way to settle many rumors and to share my insight about love, life and most important — God." Despite all of these reports, including one from Radar in 2013, a book deal didn't materialize, and a publishing source told People in 2014 that "no one wants to publish her book and be boycotted."
Although the buzz died down, another insider claimed that Anthony was reconsidering the idea in 2020. "Casey is writing ... a detailed and definitive account of her life and the tragedy of losing Caylee," they told InTouch. "She knows the book will be controversial and that no matter what she does she will face criticism, but she also feels she has a story that has never been told. Nobody else has lived it, so no one else can tell it."
Casey Anthony's parents may sue her
In 2017, George Anthony told "Crime Watch Daily" that if Casey Anthony was paid to tell her story in a book, TV show, or film, he would take her to court in a civil lawsuit or wrongful death suit. "If it gets to the point where my daughter would sell her story and that she would want to talk about it and get paid ... Yes. Absolutely I would," he confirmed. "I don't think it'll ever come to that," her mother, Cindy Anthony, stated.
The couple themselves would go on to face other legal troubles in the next couple of years, as they later told the Daily Mail in 2019: a mortgage company tried to kick them out of their house and claimed that they had never repaid any of their loan. "We never defaulted and they screwed up because they didn't accept payments when they ought to. It's a clerical error on their part," Cindy explained, adding that they were hopeful it would get cleared up soon. "Bottom line is they don't want to lose in court."
She started her own PI firm
After becoming a notorious figure during her own criminal trial, it seemed like Casey Anthony would have been sick of the world of law and order. But TMZ reported in 2021 that Anthony had registered the private investigation business Case Research & Consulting Services, LLC on January 1 of that year, even though she might not legally be allowed to have a private investigator's license (which requires a criminal background check in Florida).
The company, which is registered to her lawyer, Patrick McKenna's, house in West Palm Beach, immediately sparked speculation that she was launching an investigation into her own case. "That's a closed chapter in her life," an inside source told People. "She's not starting a company to get answers about Caylee." Instead, Anthony reportedly started the company to assist defendants who had been accused of serious crimes. "She knows what it's like to be accused of something that she didn't do," the source continued. "She wants to help other wrongfully accused people, especially women, and help them get justice."
But don't expect to see Anthony intervening in high-profile cases anytime soon. "It's in the very early stages," the insider noted. "She has big plans for her future, and hopes that it will change how people see her."
Casey Anthony told her side of the story in a documentary
Although Casey Anthony's family has made their feelings clear when it comes to their daughter making money from her story, the notorious ex-con decided to share her perspective with the world anyway. The November 2022 documentary "Casey Anthony: Where the Truth Lies" was created for Peacock and features Casey's first-ever on-air interview about her young daughter's death. As People reported, she has directly blamed her father in the footage. Casey also made new claims about the abuse she faced as a child, alleging that George Anthony used to "put a pillow over my face and smother me to knock me out."
Her former judge has already spoken out about Casey's newer allegations against her father, claiming that her version of events doesn't line up with the facts. Judge Belvin Perry Jr. pointed out the apparent inconsistencies in her story to TMZ, observing that she had previously blamed a babysitter rather than her father. Perry also stated that there was no forensic evidence of her drowning explanation for daughter Caylee's death.
For her part, Casey noted in the doc (via InTouch), "I still don't know what happened to Caylee. I know what I'm afraid of. I know what eats at me day after day because I know what I lived through."
If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.