Zenaida Gonzalez: Who Is She? Caylee Marie’s Death Explained

Peacock’s ‘Casey Anthony: Where The Truth Lies’ chronicles how Casey Anthony took over a month to report her daughter Caylee missing after she disappeared from her Orlando, Florida, home in June 2008. Although, when she informed the police about the incident, the single mother claimed her 2-year-old was with “Zanny the nanny” when she disappeared. This person later turned out to be Zenaida Gonzalez, who was introduced into the case as the child’s babysitter.

Zenaida-Gonzalez
Zenaida-Gonzalez

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Who Is Zenaida Gonzalez?

Unfortunately, nothing was known about “Zanny the nanny,” AKA Zenaida Gonzalez, before Caylee Anthony’s disappearance except that she resided in an apartment close to Casey’s home. While the toddler went missing in June 2008, her mother did not report the incident to the police immediately. Instead, she claimed that she used other sources to search for her child. Reports claim that Casey’s mother, Cindy Anthony, eventually learned of the shocking occurrence and called 911 in July 2008 to report the 2-year-old missing.

Although there was a gap of about 31 days between Caylee’s disappearance and the missing person report, authorities did their best to search for the child. Yet, when they asked Casey where the two-year-old was at the time of her disappearance, the mother claimed that Caylee had spent the day with her nanny and was still with her when she went missing. She even identified the babysitter as “Zanny the nanny,” and the media proclaimed her real name as Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez.

Surprisingly, Zenaida proved quite elusive, and after investigating the incident, the police determined that “Zanny the nanny” was a made-up figure who did not exist. Despite Casey initially denying this allegation, she eventually confessed, and her lawyers confirmed that “Zanny” was fabricated during the start of her murder trial. But what started as an ordinary lie became a nightmare for the real Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez, as people believed she was responsible for Caylee’s disappearance and death.

Zenaida later confirmed that she and Casey had visited a Florida apartment the same day, and authorities determined that the details Casey provided matched the ones Zenaida had put on the information card. On the other hand, there was a rumor that the moniker “Zanny the nanny” indicated the use of Xanax, but Casey insisted that she had never drugged her child.

Casey Anthony Casey Anthony
Casey Anthony

Where Is Zenaida Gonzalez Now?

As a result of the media’s dissemination of the nickname “Zanny the nanny,” the genuine Zenaida Gonzalez has been the target of ire from the general populace. She mentioned that she had lost several friends and that she had gotten death threats as a result of the widespread belief that she was responsible for Caylee’s injuries. As a result, Zenaida, who was disturbed and frustrated by the impact the deception had on her life, decided to give evidence against Casey during the latter’s legal proceeding.

Despite the fact that Casey was cleared of the murder accusation by the jury, Zenaida was not prepared to let things go. As a result, in 2011, she filed a lawsuit against her for defamation, claiming that her lies were responsible for her losing her job and her house. However, in 2015 the judge ultimately found in favor of Casey, dismissing the claim and remarking that the lies did not hurt Zenaida’s character. Casey’s argument was that the lies did not cause Zenaida any harm to her reputation.

Since then, Zenaida Gonzalez has shown a preference for keeping her private life under wraps, despite the fact that a report from 2012 stated that she was accused with marketing an alcoholic energy drink to children. In 2016, she was arrested once more for stealing credit cards in the city of Orlando, Florida. Despite this, it appears that Zenaida was granted her freedom some time ago and that she currently resides in Orlando.

Who is Caylee Marie Anthony?

Caylee Marie Anthony, a regular American girl who was born on August 9, 2005 and died between June and December of 2008, spent her childhood in Orlando, Florida, with her mother, Casey Marie Anthony, and her maternal grandparents, George and Cindy Anthony. Caylee died in June or December of 2008. On July 15, 2008, Cindy made a call to 9-1-1 to report that her daughter Caylee was missing. She stated that she hadn’t seen Caylee in 31 days and that Casey’s car smelled like a dead body had been inside for a long time.

Cindy asserted that Casey had provided her with a variety of justifications for Caylee’s whereabouts before finally admitting that she hadn’t seen Caylee in weeks. Cindy stated that Casey had given her these explanations. Casey told the detectives that Caylee had been kidnapped by a nanny on June 9, and that she had been searching for her ever since, too terrified to inform the authorities. This was a falsehood that Casey told the cops.

Casey Anthony Casey Anthony
Casey Anthony

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How Did Caylee Anthony Die?

According to CNN, during Casey’s trial, the prosecution claimed that she killed her daughter by administering chloroform to Caylee and then suffocating her by placing duct tape over Caylee’s nose and mouth. Caylee, according to Casey’s defense team, died of accidental drowning in the home pool, and her grandfather was the one who disposed of her body.

Investigators found a bag containing human remains in a wooded area about a half mile from Caylee’s grandparents’ home in Orlando, Florida, in December of 2008. The remains were later determined to be those of Caylee. At the time of the discovery, the toddler and her mother were living with the grandparents at the time. Caylee’s death would be ruled a homicide by the medical examiner of Orange County, Dr. Jan Garavaglia, who stated at the time that Caylee’s cause of death would be labeled as homicide by the doctor’s undetermined means and that the manner of death would also be ruled a homicide.

Who Killed Caylee Anthony?

It is not quite clear what took place with Caylee at this time. Anthony initially told the detectives that she had dropped off her daughter at the residence of Zenaida Fernandez-Gonzalez, who was working as a babysitter. She then asserted that when she got at Caylee’s residence, there was nobody there to greet her. A woman who shares the same name as Caylee and Anthony came forward to the authorities in September 2008 and stated that she was unsure of either person’s identity.

She was supposedly exonerated of any wrongdoing after further investigation, as reported in the news. The news outlet claims that forensic investigators found signs of Anthony’s body decomposing and traces of chloroform in the trunk of his automobile. In spite of the fact that FBI lab findings showed that a hair found in Anthony’s car trunk had “characteristics of apparent decomposition” and was “microscopically comparable” to strands of hair found in Caylee’s hairbrush, the study was unable to definitively state that the hair belonged to Caylee.

In the documentary series, Casey was accused of being responsible for the death of her daughter Caylee, but she was found not guilty of the crime by a jury in 2011. Casey claimed that her allegedly violent father, George, was in fact the one who was responsible for Caylee’s passing.

Casey AnthonyCasey Anthony
Casey Anthony

Where is Casey Anthony now?

Casey and Caylee shared an apartment in Orlando, Florida, throughout their time there. According to CNN’s coverage, the investigation revealed that Casey had misled authorities about her employment status at Universal Studios, despite her claims to the contrary. It was eventually found out that she had also lied about Caylee being with a babysitter known as Zenaida Gonzalez, or “Zanny.” She stated that Caylee was with Zanny while she was at work.

Casey was found not guilty of the charges of murder, manslaughter, and child abuse after a trial that lasted for six weeks. However, the jury did find her guilty of giving false information to the authorities, which resulted in a sentence of four years in prison for her. She was eventually granted parole in July 2011 for having served enough time and having been a model prisoner.

“I have been dishonest with police enforcement. Casey may be heard saying on tape, “I admitted that I lied to law enforcement, so that makes me a convicted liar.”

Where was Caylee Found?

According to Biography, Caylee Anthony spent her childhood in the Orlando residence that belonged to her grandparents, Cindy and George Anthony. On June 15, 2008, however, Casey and Caylee parted ways following a disagreement in the family. Midway during the month of July, George found out that Casey’s family automobile had been repossessed. Cindy noticed that there was a potent stink inside the vehicle, so she dialed 911 and told the operator that “it smells like there’s been a dead body in the dang car.” Cindy was concerned that someone might have been inside the vehicle. Caylee was reported missing by Cindy as well.

Casey Anthony Casey Anthony
Casey Anthony

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Caylee Anthony: FAQs

1. Who is Caylee Maria Anthony? 

Caylee Marie Anthony (August 9, 2005 – June-December 2008) was an American girl who lived in Orlando, Florida, with her mother, Casey Marie Anthony.

2. How did Caylee die? 

In the docuseries, Casey, who was previously charged with her daughter’s death before being found not guilty by a jury in 2011, alleges that her father, George, was abusive and that he was actually the one responsible for Caylee’s death.

3. What was the cause of death? 

The details are still unclear.During Casey’s trial, prosecutors alleged that Casey used chloroform on her daughter and suffocated her by putting duct tape over Caylee’s nose and mouth. Casey’s defense team, on the other hand, said that Caylee accidentally drowned in the family’s pool and that her grandfather disposed of her body.

4. How old was Caylee when she died? 

She passed away when she was 2 years old.

5.   Where Is Casey Anthony Now?

She was sentenced to four years in jail with credit for time served in July 2011.