Casey Anthony’s Estranged Father Finally Wants to Reconnect With Her After Near-Death Experience

More than a decade after two-year-old Caylee Anthony was murdered, Casey Anthony‘s father George still wanted nothing to do with her. That is, under a near-fatal car crash changed his outlook on life. In an upcoming interview with Dr. Oz, George admits that he has finally forgiven his controversial daughter.

When Dr. Oz asked George, who wore a massive brace over his head and chest, if his daughter contacted him in the aftermath of the accident, he said, “she did reach out to see how I am.” And surprisingly, he was happy to hear from her. “I would [like to see her]. I mean honestly, I would. I would just like to tell her I’m sorry. You know, that I forgive her. I forgive her and that’s hard for me to say.”

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It’s hard because, for years, George has maintained that he didn’t want a relationship with her, and was clearly unsure of her innocence when it came to his sweet granddaughter’s death. Last June, he told Crime Watch Daily that he had no desire to reconnect with her “I don’t want to see her, I don’t want to talk to her,” he said. “I’ve always said that I would never talk to my daughter. I actually lost my daughter and my granddaughter in 2008.”

But now he’s changed his tune. As a matter of fact, after his November car crash, he’s hoping that she’s also willing to turn over a new leaf. “You know what, I need to be forgiven by her, my son, and other family members or friends that I care so much about,” he said, tears welling in his eyes. “Forgive me for what I’ve done. To all of our lives.”

After mentioning suicide in an interview with Dr. Oz last year, many wondered if this car crash had been an attempt to take his own life. He promises that isn’t the case, and that he wanted nothing more than to return home to his loving wife. Hopefully, he can begin to heal now that he’s let go of the hate he’s held on to for so long.