Most people would think that a parent would pray for a healthy baby and would be saddened when their child gets sick. That is not the case for Dee Dee Blanchard, mother of Gypsy Rose Blanchard. A story filled with lies, manipulation, and physical abuse. This is Gypsy Rose's story.
Gypsy was born on July 27, 1991, to Rod and Dee Dee Blanchard. Her parents separated shortly before she was born, so Gypsy lived mainly with her mother. From the moment she was born Dee Dee would say that Gypsy had sleep apnea and was ill, but the fact of the matter was Gypsy was perfectly healthy. Experts say that Dee Dee would lie about Gypsy's health because of Munchausen syndrome, a mental disorder. As Gypsy grew older Dee Dee would make more claims about her health saying that she had things like cancer. muscular dystrophy, the inability to walk, seizures, asthma, hearing, and visual impairments.
As a result, Gypsy had to take medications and go through multiple surgeries. One of these surgeries was the removal of her salivary glands. This surgery and all her medication caused her teeth to rot and have to be taken out. Her mother also shaved her head and gave her medicine that caused certain illnesses. You might be wondering how no one saw through Dee Dee's lies. Well, whenever tests came back inconclusive Dee Dee would stop taking Gypsy to those doctors. In addition to that, Gypsy would never deny Dee Dee's claims because Dee Dee would tell her not to talk during appointments. Dee Dee would also tell Rod Blanchard, Gypsy's father, that Gypsy had a chromosomal disorder and he would praise her for being a good mother.
After a while lots of family and friends started to question Dee Dee and ask too many questions, so Dee Dee moved away. To cover up the real reason why she claimed that they'd been hit by Hurricane Katrina. She would also use the hurricane as an excuse for missing medical records. She would share this story but attention and pity. They had moved to Springfield, Missouri where they received benefits like charity-sponsored trips to Disneyland. In 2009, someone reported Dee Dee and Gypsy to authorities, but Dee convinced them she was telling the truth. Dee Dee's lies kept growing. She would make false statements about Gypsy's age and changed her birth certificate.
Gypsy did try to escape. In 2011, she ran away with a man she met at a science convention, but Dee Dee quickly found and punished her. She would physically and mentally abuse Gypsy, limit her food and water rights, and even smash her computer. However, that wasn't the end of Gypsy's attempts. She met someone on a Christian dating website named Nicholas Godejohn. She explained her story to him and asked him if he could kill her mother. He agreed and in June of 2015, he came to their house and stabbed Dee Dee to death. Gypsy waited in the bathroom with her ears covered. Afterward, they went back to his house but were soon found out by the police. The authorities had traced them by Gypsy's tweet, "That bi- is dead." She later explained she had tweeted this so the police could find her mother's body.
The next year she pled guilty to 2nd-degree murder and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Nicholas was found guilty of 1st-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison. Gypsy served 85% of her sentence before being released on December 28, 2023. She claims that her time in prison was the most free she ever felt.
Recently Gypsy has been out and about. She has done multiple interviews and has been enjoying a free life. She and her husband are now happy and ready to take on life.
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