Casey Anthony No Longer Wears Her Daughter's Ashes Around Her Neck — But Her Mom Still Does

Although Casey Anthony used to wear her deceased daughter's ashes in a vial around her neck, a source says he hasn't seen the necklace in years

For ten years, the twists and turns of the Caylee Anthony murder case have fascinated trial-watchers who wonder what exactly happened to the sunny 2-year-old from Orlando, Florida. A decade after the case made headlines, the American public remains fascinated with Caylee’s mother, Casey Anthony.

One of the most macabre and surprising details was revealed a year after Casey’s stunning 2011 acquittal, when multiple sources told PEOPLE that Casey and her mother, Cindy, had matching necklaces that contained Caylee’s ashes in small vials.

During one of the reconciliations between the two women, Cindy presented the necklace to her daughter as a gift. At the time, Casey was living in South Florida with a pastor and his family. She attended a small church, and kept photos of Caylee near her bed.

“Casey told me it was the way the Anthony women would be together forever,” a friend of Casey’s told PEOPLE at the time.

But things have changed — and the same source close to Casey tells PEOPLE that she no longer wears the necklace containing Caylee’s ashes.

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“Oh, I haven’t seen it in years,” says the friend. “Her mother gave her the necklace and she wore it some back in 2012 and 2013, but I haven’t seen it since. I don’t know whatever became of it. It always stood out when she wore it, but I literally can’t remember seeing it for a very long time.”

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Casey, now 32, has distanced herself from her family and has tried to move on from her daughter’s death and the subsequent murder accusations.

“I don’t give a s— about what anyone thinks about me, I never will,” she told the Associated Press last year, “Based off what was in the media, I understand the reasons people feel about me. I understand why people have the opinions that they do.”

“I’m okay with myself,” she continued. “I sleep pretty good at night.”

Courtesy Crime Watch Daily

But Casey’s parents, George and Cindy, have given several interviews that indicated that they are still haunted by the trauma of losing their granddaughter and watching their daughter face trial. “Cindy and I must have raised a bad seed,” George told A&E’s Elizabeth Vargas during a televised interview in May.

A source close to Cindy tells PEOPLE she still owns the necklace with the ashes — and still wears it on occasion. “She has never been the same since Caylee died,” says the source. “No matter what people think of Cindy, she loved her family.”

“You’ve got to think about what she went through,” the source continues. “Caylee was missing for six months. Then her body was found. Then Casey faced a murder trial where the death penalty was on the table. Then Casey was acquitted and she turned her back on her family who had been there for her. Cindy weathered all of that; she’s stronger than people give her credit for being.”

“Cindy loved Caylee with all her heart,” the source continues. “And that necklace will keep her from ever forgetting Caylee. It’s one of her prized possessions.”