Casey Anthony is alleging that her father may have been directly responsible for the death of her daughter — and that he orchestrated efforts to make her look guilty — in a new controversial docuseries from Peacock.
Anthony, 36, became a household name when her two-year-old daughter Caylee disappeared in 2008. When the toddler’s body was found in the woods some six months later, Anthony was charged with her murder. During the trial, after which Anthony was found not guilty, her defense attorneys claimed that Caylee had drowned in the family pool — but she’s now saying that may not be the case.
“I lied,” she said of her initial claims. “But no one asked why.”
WATCH:
Casey Anthony: Where The Truth Lies will be available to stream November 29 on Peacock. pic.twitter.com/m5ltys0oWm
— Peacock (@peacock) November 15, 2022
“I wasn’t feeling that great, and I wanted to lay down. I had her lay in bed with me,” Anthony said of the day her daughter was last seen in 2008. “I was awoken by [my father] shaking me and asking me where Caylee was. That didn’t make sense. She would never even leave my room without telling me. I immediately started looking around the house. I go outside and I’m looking to see where she could be.”
The next time she saw her daughter, Anthony claimed, her father was carrying her, soaking wet, and telling her that it was her fault.
“He was standing there with her. 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,” Anthony continued. “He takes her from me and he immediately softens his tone and says ‘It’s going to be ok.’ I wanted to believe him. He took her from me and he went away.”
Following that exchange, Anthony explained that she went to stay with her boyfriend — for 31 days — and said that she believed the whole time that her daughter was still alive. “My father kept telling me she was ok. I had to keep following his instructions. He told me what to do. I tried to act as normal as I could,” she said.
In addition to suggesting that her father may have brought about Caylee’s death, Anthony appeared to allege that he had abused her as a child and may have abused his granddaughter as well.
“He’d put a pillow over my face and smother me to knock me out. That happened several times. I’m sure there were times where I was incapacitated as a child where my body was limp and lifeless,” Anthony said, adding that she worried he may have done the same to her daughter. “That’s what I think about. I wish every day I had said something to someone about something. Maybe then things would be different.”