Amanda Knox followed by paparazzi in Seattle

SEATTLE, Oct. 14 (UPI) -- Amanda Knox, the American student acquitted in the 2007 stabbing death of her British roommate in Italy, was photographed in downtown Seattle this week.

The 24-year-old, who was freed after four years in an Italian prison, has been in relative seclusion since her return to Seattle but was photographed Thursday visiting an office building downtown, The Daily Telegraph, a British newspaper, reported.

The Seattle Times reported Knox has remained hidden to the news media but has been reconnecting with friends and family. Paparazzi and international tabloids are staking out her every movement since she returned home, the newspaper said.

Lori Zoellner, a University of Washington expert on post-traumatic stress and anxiety, said emotional support and an ability to resume a normal life are key to recovering from traumatic events, the Times reported.

Knox's father, Curt, told KOMO radio last week, his daughter "just wants to feel what it's like to be outside of prison. It's going to take some time before we figure out what the new normal will be."

Family attorney Ted Simon said Knox was recently able to go incognito on a shopping trip. "She's fulfilled exactly what she wanted to do. It's on her terms," Simon said.