Casey Anthony's parents took polygraph test to 'clear their name,' expert says
In the new TV special, George and Cindy take the polygraph test to prove their innocence
The results of polygraph tests administered to Casey Anthony's parents have been revealed in a new TV special that aired Thursday.
George Anthony, 72, and Cindy Anthony, 65, passed the polygraph tests as part of A&E's new TV special, "Casey Anthony’s Parents: The Lie Detector Test," in which they were asked several questions relating to their granddaughter Caylee Anthony's murder and their daughter Casey Anthony's accusations of molestation that she has made against her father.
Dubbed "America's most hated mom," Casey Anthony, 37, was accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee, in 2008 but has alleged that her father is the real perpetrator.
In the new TV special, George and Cindy take the polygraph test to prove their innocence in their granddaughter's murder and Casey's allegations of sexual assault.
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George and Cindy Anthony sitting down on a red couch and being interviewed. (©️2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC photo: Mary Beth Koeth)
But the tests, however successful, also spurred some intense emotions from both parents.
"My opinion of them taking the examination was to clear their name, not only as suspects despite the closed investigations, but to validate the narratives they have been telling throughout the years," Lisa Ribacoff, a New York-based private investigator and polygraph expert, told Fox News Digital. "Allegations were made by Casey and they wanted to use the polygraph as an investigative tool to assist in providing credibility to their narratives."
George Anthony speaks on his phone outside of his home in Orlando, Florida on Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024. Anthony will appear in a TV special tomorrow based on the suspicious death of his granddaughter, Caylee Anthony. (Mark Sims for Fox News Digital)
Polygraph exams measure a person's heart rate, blood pressure, respiration and more, so having cameras in the same room where the parents were taking the test may have impacted the results, Ribacoff noted.
"Stumbling happens a lot," she said. "It is an emotional topic and a rough issue to discuss. I encounter examinees like this all the time. It is a normal reaction. It is up to the examiner to discuss things with them thoroughly to ensure they are understanding of the questions, as well."
Ribacoff also noted that the special "was edited, and trailers were released to appear to make George look guilty, which could be why viewers were so highly tuned in."
At one point in the special, George accuses his wife of being controlling when she asks the production crew to move the couch they are sitting on. Cindy becomes emotional and hints at the gravity of the polygraph tests, saying George could "end up in jail" if he "blows all this."
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In another scene, Cindy has a panic attack while discussing Caylee's murder and accusations against Casey.
"Since June 16, 2008, Caylee has been my No. 1 priority, as far as what happened to her and getting her back," Cindy says in the special. "I lost Casey and my granddaughter that day, but Caylee was the priority. Caylee has always been my priority. My goal this whole time has been to find out the truth. And to sit here and listen to [Casey] keep making different stories as it fits…"
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Leading up to the release of the series, Fox News Digital caught George Anthony outside his Florida home, seeming relatively calm.
George Anthony speaks on his phone outside of his home in Orlando, Florida on Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024. Anthony appeared in a TV special based on the suspicious death of his granddaughter, Caylee Anthony. (Mark Sims for Fox News Digital)
Another clip from the special shows George "struggling" to answer a question from retired FBI Special Agent George Olivo.
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"When I met them, they were soon separated, and I tested George first," Olivo previously told Fox News Digital. "Nothing really stood out to me."
George Anthony, Cindy Anthony and Casey Anthony. (©️2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC photo: Mary Beth/Getty Images Koeth)
Olivo said polygraph tests are "85 to 90% accurate" when administered correctly.
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Cindy initially reported Caylee missing on July 15, 2008, about a month after the toddler was last seen on June 15, 2008. She also told police at the time that Casey's impounded vehicle smelled like a dead body, and experts later testified during her trial that the vehicle did contain evidence of human remains in the trunk.
Caylee Marie Anthony, 2, was found murdered. (Orlando Sentinel/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service)
Casey was arrested in connection with her daughter's disappearance and death that same year, initially telling police the girl had vanished while she was with a babysitter.
Following her daughter's death in June 2008, Casey left home and spent the next month with her boyfriend, apparently failing to report any crime involving her daughter.
A cross is set up in the Caylee Anthony memorial that was placed in the area where the 2-year-old's remains were found on July 16, 2011 in Orlando, Florida. (Joe Raedle)
She said she "genuinely believed that Caylee was still alive" in Peacock's 2022 series titled "Casey Anthony: Where The Truth Lies."Months later, in December 2008, a utility worker located Caylee's skeletal remains in a wooded area about half-a-mile from the Anthony family's home.
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Jose Baez, who represented Casey Anthony during a monthlong trial in 2011, argued that Caylee accidentally drowned in the family's above-ground swimming pool in June 2008, alleging that Casey's parents then attempted to cover up her death and dispose of her remains, which George and Cindy have vehemently denied.
Casey Anthony reacts to being found not guilty on murder charges at the Orange County Courthouse on July 5, 2011 in Orlando, Florida. At left is her attorney Jose Baez. (Red Huber-Pool)
Prosecutors argued that Casey Anthony suffocated her daughter with chloroform and taped the 2-year-old's mouth shut.
After deliberating for 11 hours, a Florida jury found Casey Anthony not guilty of first-degree murder, aggravated manslaughter and aggravated child abuse. The case remains unsolved to this day.
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