Caylee Anthony’s Grandparents Sell Her Belongings at a Garage Sale: Too Soon?

Whenever I come across Casey Anthony news, I spiral into a fuming, sad place.  So in advance, I apologize if I seem biased. I definitely lean towards the undeniable fact that Casey Anthony killed her daughter and that her parents helped her with her crime. Here’s a hasty recap of what happened in 2008: Casey Anthony’s parents reported their grandchild missing after an entire month of her disappearance. Five months later, a meter reader found her body in a trash bag. Casey was put on trial, and even though there were over 400 pieces of evidence that proved Casey is a baby killer, she was found not guilty due to inconclusive evidence, or her horribly talented lawyer. The trial was huge. Casey Anthony was the most hated woman in the world and after she was released, she went into hiding and hasn’t really resurfaced since, which I’m thankful for.

This week, Cindy and George Anthony (Casey’s parents who went back on their previous statements about Casey’s car smelling like a “dead body” and provided a convenient story where Casey actually drowned in their swimming pool) had a yard sale to get rid of Caylee’s clothes and toys. It has been five years since their granddaughter disappeared and was found murdered, so it’s natural that they may want to finally let go of her, physically.

But a yard sale? Where they would be publicly profiting off of their murdered granddaughter’s things? Apparently, a witness bought some pants and purses at a discounted rate, which seemed to upset Cindy Anthony. According to the witness, Cindy “began yelling at [George Anthony] and said he should have told her. I think the difference may have been a whole 10 dollars, but she was upset.” Was she upset because she hoped to make more money off of the items, or was she upset because the items meant so much to her, that she wanted them to have a higher value?

When my grandpa died, we donated his clothes to Goodwill after almost a year went by. It was so hard for my grandmother to let go of his pants, his socks and his shirts that still smelled like him; the attachment we have for possessions remind us of people we loved how we spent our time with them. My fiancé owns a vintage Zippo that has “Skip” engraved on it; it was his late father’s and it’s one of the few things he still has to remind him of his dad.  Besides a small collection of sacred and significant objects, it’s normal to let most things go. We give them away and will them to be in good hands, and we slowly heal.

With the infamous Casey Anthony case, it’s unusual for Caylee’s grandparents to be publically selling their grandchild’s clothing. Even though they’re not auctioning off her Winnie-the-Pooh backpack on eBay, they might as well be. A little bit more discretion would have been smarter and more respectful on their part. Donating the clothes, or even throwing them away, would have signified a deeper acknowledgement of the awful and untimely death of their granddaughter.  However, maybe I’m quick to judge. Maybe the Anthonys have kept a few treasured belongings and decided to do away with the rest for closure.  Maybe they’re destitute and sick of looking at things that make them sad or regretful. Maybe they’re just trying to help their bankrupt daughter. Maybe they hoped that after five years, nobody would notice they were selling the famous Caylee Anthony’s teddy bears.  However, I don’t think, even after selling Caylee’s things, anyone will ever forget or let go.

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