Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of child abuse. Reader discretion is advised.
The infamous case of Gypsy Rose Blanchard continues to garner interest following her prison release. The former convicted was charged in 2016 for the second-degree murder of her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard. Gypsy Rose received 10 years in prison, but she was released on parole in December 2023. Her then-boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, continues to serve life in prison after getting convicted of the first-degree murder of Dee Dee.
Did Gypsy Rose’s mother Dee Dee Blanchard abuse her?
Per MSNBC News, Dee Dee Blanchard medically abused Gypsy Rose. Her daughter was a victim of Munchausen syndrome by proxy (now known as “factitious disorder imposed on another”). It is a rare psychological condition that sees a person, the parent in most cases, make another person undergo unnecessary medical treatment by inducing injury or disease, presenting the victim as sick, or falsifying symptoms.
The two received immense community support as Dee Dee appeared dedicated to looking after her “sick” daughter. Moreover, they received governmental aid, including a house and a Disney vacation. According to MSNBC News, Dee Dee claimed Gypsy Rose was suffering from epilepsy, leukemia, brain damage, and muscular dystrophy. She forced her daughter to undergo unnecessary surgeries and made her use a wheelchair and feeding tubes.
Forbes reported that the murder trial eventually found that Gypsy Rose did not suffer from the several illnesses her mother claimed she had. She had to undergo 20 years of treatment that was not required. Dee Dee allegedly physically abused her daughter whenever she asked to have freedom and a normal life or tried to go against her. Gypsy Rose went behind her mother’s back and got into an online relationship with Godejohn. Later, he killed Dee Dee upon her daughter’s request after she asked him to save her from what she was going through.
Over the years, several documentaries have chronicled Gypsy Rose’s ordeal and Dee Dee’s eventual murder. Lifetime’s The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard saw her detail her troubled childhood.
