Caylee Anthony Was Last Seen Alive 18 Years Ago. Here's What Happened to Casey Anthony After She Was Acquitted of Her Murder

Casey Anthony was last seen with her daughter, Caylee Anthony, on June 16, 2008

NEED TO KNOW

• Casey Anthony was charged in connection with her 2-year-old daughter’s death but was found not guilty in 2011
• Casey initially stayed out of the public eye before being interviewed for the 2022 Peacock docuseries, Casey Anthony: Where the Truth Lies
• Since 2025, Casey has been posting TikTok videos and publishing writing on Substack

It's been 18 years since Casey Anthony left her family's home in Orlando, Fla., and was last seen with her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee Anthony.

Caylee was reported missing by her grandparents on July 15, 2008, after they found out that Casey's car was impounded and discovered a foul odor from the trunk. Around three months later, Casey was arrested and charged with first-degree murder.

The 2011 trial, which became one of the most widely-watched criminal trials in history, resulted in a jury finding Casey not guilty of the murder. After being released from prison in July 2011, Casey initially kept a low profile out of the public eye.

However, in 2022, she gave her first televised interview in the Peacock docuseries Casey Anthony: Where the Truth Lies and blamed her father for Caylee’s death. Over a year later, George Anthony and Cindy Anthony took polygraph tests about their granddaughter's death in an A&E and Lifetime special. They have both denied any involvement.

Casey resurfaced again in March 2025 when she posted her first TikTok. In the three-minute video, she described herself as a researcher and legal advocate and said her goal was to "reintroduce" herself. She also promoted her Substack and said that she planned to communicate via email with her followers.

So, where is Casey Anthony now? Here's everything to know about her life today.

Casey Anthony was living in Florida with her parents when her 2-year-old daughter went missing

According to authorities, Casey left the family's home on June 16, 2008, with Caylee and didn't return for 31 days. After learning that Casey's car had been impounded, George went to retrieve the vehicle, and discovered a strong smell coming from the trunk.

On July 15, 2008, Cindy called 911 and said she hadn't seen Caylee in 30 days. She also claimed that Casey's car smelled like a dead body had been inside it (she later walked back these claims).

At the time, Casey claimed that she hadn't seen Caylee in a month and that a babysitter named Zenaida Fernandez Gonzalez may have kidnapped her.

She was charged with first-degree murder in October 2008

After lying to the police about her place of employment, Casey was arrested and charged with child neglect, making false official statements and obstructing an investigation on July 16, 2008, a day after her mother reported Caylee missing.

She was later declared a "person of interest" in Caylee's disappearance on July 22 and was charged with first-degree murder in October. Later that year, on Dec. 11, Caylee's skeletal remains were found in a wooded area near the Anthony family's house.

Years later, on May 24, 2011, Casey's trial commenced in Orlando. In her lawyer Jose Baez's opening statement, he claimed that Caylee drowned in the family swimming pool and that George sought to cover up the accidental death. He also alleged that George had molested Casey as a child, causing her to develop a habit of lying.

After about two months, closing arguments were given on July 3, 2011. Two days later, the jury reached a verdict. Casey was found not guilty of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and aggravated manslaughter of a child. She was, however, found guilty of four misdemeanor counts of providing false information to a law enforcement officer.

Casey was released from jail shortly after she was found not guilty

On July 7, 2011, Casey received a four-year sentence and a $4,000 fine for the four counts of lying to police. She was released from jail shortly after, on July 17.

Casey was released so quickly after her sentencing, just 10 days later, because she had amassed more than 1000 credits of time served as she had been incarcerated since her arrest in 2008, per the Orlando Sentinel.

Casey has since spoken about the ordeal in a documentary and joined TikTok to be a "legal advocate"

In March 2017, Casey gave her first interview since the trial to the Associated Press. In a series of articles, she admitted to lying to the police and spoke about the public's perception of her.

"Based off what was in the media, I understand the reasons people feel about me. I understand why people have the opinions that they do," she said.

In December 2020, Casey filed papers to start her own private investigation business in South Florida. While her family told the media that she formed the business to investigate Caylee's death, a source told PEOPLE that wasn't true.

"That's a closed chapter in her life," the source said. "She's not starting a company to get answers about Caylee."

On Nov. 29, 2022, Casey told her side of the story in Peacock's docuseries Casey Anthony: Where The Truth Lies, which marked her first televised interview. In the three-part docuseries, she made several bombshell accusations, including that she blames her father for Caylee's death.

"He was standing there with her," she recalled in the docuseries. "She was soaking wet. He handed her to me. Said it was my fault. That I caused it. But he didn't rush to call 911 and he wasn't trying to resuscitate her. I collapsed with her in my arms. She was heavy, and she was cold."

In January 2024, George and Cindy appeared on a true crime reality show on A&E, where they both took lie detector tests while recounting their granddaughter’s tragic 2008 death. In one clip, George denied that he knew Caylee’s whereabouts during the six months authorities were searching for his missing 2-year-old granddaughter.

In another clip, Cindy said that she believes her daughter "100%" knows what happened to Caylee.

"And I kept hoping upon hope that she would confess," she continued moments before having a panic attack. "And that's the only reason I put myself through all of her drama and everything."

In 2025, Casey posted her first TikTok to promote her new Substack page. She's been active on that platform since February 2025.

"People are not only unaware of their rights, but most of the time, they aren’t even aware that they are giving them away so freely, without consent," Casey wrote in one post. "Do you know who you would call today if something catastrophic occurred in your life or in the life of someone you care for?"

Casey has continued using both her TikTok and Substack to promote various political messages.

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