Twelve years after a Florida jury acquitted her of the murder of her daughter, tot mom Casey Anthony lives a lonely and isolated life, according to what her friends told The Messenger.
Anthony, friends say, lives alone in South Florida and seldom engages in social activities, aside from occasional bar hopping. She’s also estranged from her parents and gets hate consistently from strangers when she goes out in public.
“People hate her and she knows it,” one friend told The Messenger.
Former co-worker Greg Shorey said Anthony “has a pathological need to be the center of attention,” while another friend said she is still coming to grips with the constant ostracization.
Caylee’s Disappearance and Death
For weeks in 2008, Anthony lied to police, claiming she left Caylee with a nanny who turned out to be fictional. It took Anthony 31 days to report Caylee missing, despite the insistence of her parents, who were close to the child. Anthony stalled her parents by claiming she was too busy at work, although her job also turned out to be fictional.
Local media picked up the story and soon after, national media caught on, creating one of the most high-profile searches of the decade, as volunteers from across the nation flocked to Florida to help find Caylee.
In December 2008, a local meter reader located the remains of a young child close to the Anthony family’s Orlando home. Officials later confirmed that the remains were of Caylee. Police arrested Anthony and charged her with murder.
On July 5, 2011, Anthony was acquitted of murder, aggravated child abuse, and aggravated manslaughter of a child. She was found guilty on four counts of providing false information to a law enforcement officer.
According to a 2011 Florida Department of Corrections statement, Anthony became “one of the most hated women in America.” The nickname came after the masses blamed Anthony for Caylee’s death, despite the verdict.
Dating and Fights
The notoriety of the case makes it difficult for Casey to go to local bars, and when she does, she’s typically met with name-calling and fights.
“People are always starting s*** with her,” Ethan Bowen, a bartender who has served Anthony on several occasions, said. “They’ll approach her to say something, or she’ll look up to see someone taking a picture of her with her phone. No one gives her any peace.”
In 2021, Anthony contacted the police to report a bar altercation with an alleged romantic rival, identified as Thelma Moya, although Moya told Fox News that the incident had “zero to do with an ex-boyfriend.”
“That only reverts to how we originally met,” Moya told Fox News. “It wasn’t just over an ex-boyfriend. There’s more to it I wish to not say.”
Anthony, however, told police that Moya verbally assaulted, then physically assaulted her by throwing drinks at her.
Bowen recalled another incident in 2023 when a man called Anthony a “baby killer” and “f****** monster.”
“She got her check and left. She was really upset,” Bowen said.
For years, Anthony and Patrick McKenna, a 69-year-old private investigator who worked on her case, lived together, but it ended last year. According to friends, Anthony, who had accused her own father of sexual abuse, regarded McKenna as a surrogate father figure.
Currently, Anthony still works for McKenna but lives on her own and remains single. A friend said Anthony has dated on and off, but the men eventually leave.
“Guys think it’s hot to be with Casey Anthony,” the friend said. “But they’re not willing to stay around for the hard times. It’s one thing to have some fun, but do you want to be harassed every time you go out?”
Parents
Last year, Anthony participated in the documentary, “Casey Anthony, Where The Truth Lies” on Peacock. In the documentary, and blamed her father, George, for the death of Caylee, as CrimeOnline previously reported.
The film became the final breaking point in Anthony’s relationship with her father, which subsequently affected her relationship with her mother, Cindy, as well.
“Casey is dead to him,” George and Cindy’s friend told The Messenger.
“As far as he’s concerned, he doesn’t ever want to see or talk to her again. She’s done too much to him.”
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[Feature Photo: Casey and Caylee Anthony/Handout]
