Casey Anthony: Her Strange Life 3 Years Later
07/22/2014 06:30PM
Three years ago this week, hundreds of protestors jeered outside the Orange County jail in Florida as Casey Anthony walked out the front door as a free woman.
They, like many across America, were outraged at Anthony's acquittal of murder charges in the death of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee.
Over the past three years, there have been many questions about the now 28-year-old's life. Here, PEOPLE answers some of them:
Is She Broke?
Her lawyer says so. Cheney Mason tells CNN that Anthony stays at home and works as a "housekeeper, clerk, secretary and stuff like that."
In her 2013 bankruptcy petition, Anthony claimed to be unemployed with no discernible income.
She had hoped to cash in on her notoriety by writing a book, and even met with agents and publishers in New York last year, but was unable to close a deal. "She's toxic," says a publishing source who met with her. "No one wants to publish her book and be boycotted."
Sources in the bankruptcy court tell PEOPLE they continue to investigate Anthony's finances as new information emerges. One of their questions concerns whether she received money for paparazzi photos published shortly after her release.
Does She See Her Family?
Mason says no, claiming all ties have been severed and that Anthony "has no blood family."
Anthony infamously accused her father, George, of molesting her, a charge he adamantly denied in court. Although the family reconnected after her acquittal, the reconciliation didn't last long. "There's always family drama," says a source close to George and Cindy Anthony. "One day, they're together. The next, they don't speak."
In 2011, Dr. Phil McGraw paid $600,000 to George and Cindy Anthony's charitable organization in return for an interview. The Anthonys dissolved the foundation later that year, only disbursing a small fraction of the funds. They are now fighting foreclosure on their home.
Does She Live in Seclusion?
Anthony appeared to enjoy a party lifestyle. She infamously entered a hot body contest and got a tattoo of the words "Bella Vita" ("Good Life") on her back while Caylee was missing.
Her lawyer claims she can no longer do what normal twentysomethings do. "She can't go to a beauty parlor, she can't go shopping to a department store, she can't go to a restaurant, she can't even go to McDonald's," Mason told CNN.
But every few months, Anthony is photographed doing the same things that other women her age do: shopping at Old Navy, eating at restaurants, even sunning herself at the beach.
"She has a few benefactors that are enamored with her and send her things," says a source close to her. "They pay for everything."
Adds a source close to the Anthony family: "She is surrounded by enablers. No one makes her pull her own weight. No one makes her accountable. That's what got her into this mess in the first place. I, for one, don't feel the least bit sorry for her."
