For over twenty years, Gypsy Rose Blanchard was abused by her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard. Dee Dee had a mental disorder called Munchausen syndrome by proxy, where a parent makes their child seem sick to get attention and sympathy. Dee Dee convinced doctors and others that Gypsy was very ill, leading to many unnecessary treatments. This kept Gypsy trapped in a false world of illness and suffering.
As a baby, Gypsy Rose’s mother wrongly claimed that she had sleep apnea. As Gypsy grew older, her mother continued to make up more serious illnesses, saying Gypsy had leukemia, muscular dystrophy, seizures, asthma, and problems with her hearing and vision. Dee Dee also cut off contact with Gypsy’s father and other family members, isolating them from the rest of their family.
Dee Dee kept abusing Gypsy Rose by asking for a wheelchair and feeding tube for her, even though Gypsy didn’t need them. Gypsy also had surgeries to remove her salivary glands because her mother made up fake illnesses. Gypsy still suffers from these problems today. The strong medications caused Gypsy’s teeth to rot and have to be removed. To make her story seem more convincing, Dee Dee even shaved Gypsy’s head.
Her mother kept lying about Gypsy Rose’s disabilities and age, saying she had the mental age of a 7-year-old even though Gypsy was a teenager. Dee Dee changed the dates on Gypsy’s birth certificate to make her age seem more believable. Charities helped them by building a house and giving them trips to concerts and Disney World. During doctor visits, Gypsy wasn’t allowed to talk to the doctor about her health. Instead, Dee Dee told the doctors about the fake illnesses. If a doctor didn’t agree with her, Dee Dee would simply stop going to that doctor.
As Gypsy Rose grew up, she wanted a relationship. In 2011, she tried to run away with a man she met at a science convention, but her mother stopped her. Dee Dee told the man off, saying he was with a minor, even though Gypsy was actually 19. Gypsy later revealed that her mother had destroyed her computer, tied her to her bed, hit her, and refused to give her food.
In 2015, Gypsy Rose met Nicholas Godejohn on a Christian dating site. They quickly connected, and Gypsy told Nick about the abuse she was facing from her mother. Together, they planned to escape so Gypsy could be free. In June, Nick killed Dee Dee while Gypsy hid in the bathroom. Afterward, Gypsy and Nick went to Wisconsin to celebrate Gypsy’s newfound freedom. However, the police soon found them there.
Gypsy let him in and allegedly gave him duct tape, gloves, and a knife with the understanding that he would use it to murder Dee Dee.
Gypsy hid in the bathroom and covered her ears so that she would not have to hear her mother screaming. Godejohn then stabbed Dee Dee 17 times in the back while she was asleep. Afterward, Godejohn claimed that the two had sexual intercourse in Gypsy’s room, and that she also performed fellatio on him. Gypsy alleged that Godejohn had raped her and that the sexual activity was nonconsensual. She alleged that Godejohn told her he would rape her because she did not allow him to rape Dee Dee before the murder as he had previously fantasized about. Gypsy said that she had called out for help from her deceased mother during the rape. They took over $4,400 in cash that Dee Dee had been keeping in the house, mostly from Rod’s child support checks. They fled to a motel outside Springfield, where they stayed a few days while planning their next move;during that time, they were seen on security cameras at several stores. Gypsy said at that point she believed the two had gotten away with their crime.
They mailed the murder weapon back to Godejohn’s home in Wisconsin to avoid being caught with it, then took a bus there. Several witnesses who saw the pair on their way to the Greyhound station noted that Gypsy wore a blonde wig and walked unassisted.
Gypsy Rose was sentenced to 10 years in prison after admitting she had planned with Nick to murder her mother. She pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. Despite her lawyer revealing the abuse she suffered for years, she received the 10-year sentence. According to Karen Pojmann from the Missouri Department of Corrections, Gypsy’s sentence began in June 2015, and if she follows all the rules, she will be on parole until June 2025.
What was Dee Dee Blanchard diagnosed with?
Munchausen syndrome by proxy (now known as factitious disorder imposed on another
Is Gypsy Blanchard a true story?
Yes it is a real life story.
Why did Gypsy go to jail?
Gypsy Rose Blanchard and her then-boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, were arrested in 2015 in connection to the murder of Blanchard’s mother, Dee Dee Blanchard, who was found stabbed to death in her home in Springfield, Missouri. In 2016, she was sentenced to 10 years in prison for her role in the the murder of her mother.
How did the doctor not know Gypsy wasn’t sick?
As for how Dee Dee got away with tricking the doctors, it is believed that the medications she gave Gypsy “induced many of the symptoms of diseases [that] doctors thought they were treating.”
Why didn’t Gypsy Rose call the police?
Gypsy never considered going to the police due to fear of her mother’s retaliation. “I didn’t think anyone would believe me,” she tells the court, per the New York Post. “I thought they would eventually tell my mom and make my home life even worse for me.
What happened to Gypsy Rose’s ex?
Godejohn is currently serving a life sentence at the Potosi Correctional Center.
Did Gypsy regret killing her mom?
Although she has admitted in the past that she does regret partaking in her mother’s murder, she is now saying her biggest regret is not reaching out for help, specifically to her dad.
Did Gypsy know her real age?
2005 – After relocating to Springfield, Missouri, due to a hurricane, Dee Dee starts to lie about Gypsy’s real age and medical records. 2010 – Gypsy finds her birth certificate and realizes she is older than her mother had been telling her. Gypsy was 19 at the time; she believed she was 15.
Why did Gypsy lose her teeth?
One of the biggest reminders of the abuse Gypsy Rose Blanchard suffered at the hands of her mother was her teeth. Dee Dee Blanchard suffered from Munchausen by proxy. Therefore, she had convinced Gypsy and many doctors that her daughter was quite sick.
How did Gypsy find out she wasn’t sick?
It was only after Dee Dee’s death that Gypsy realized the extent of her mother’s deception. While Gypsy had known she could walk and eat regular food, she had believed she had leukemia. Today, Gypsy is healthy and living in Louisiana with her father and stepmother.
Why did Gypsy’s mom lie about her age?
Even Gypsy’s age was a lie. Her mother had said she was younger to make it easier to perpetuate the fraud, and got away with it because Gypsy was so small: just 4 feet, 11 inches (150 centimeters) tall.
What is Gypsy doing now?
After being released from prison early in December 2023, Gypsy Rose Blanchard moved back to Louisiana, the state where she was born, with her then-husband Ryan Scott Anderson, from whom she’s since filed for divorce.