The captivating and intriguing story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s life caused quite a stir in the public eye and media. Gypsy Rose and Clauddine “Dee Dee” Blanchard resided in a modest pink abode on West Volunteer Way, located in Springfield, Missouri. Rose, the daughter of Dee Dee, was inflicted with cancer, muscular dystrophy, and other illnesses yet still displayed a cheerful smile whenever possible.
Dee Dee was a loving mother who strived to grant her daughter all of her desires. For two decades, they were a picture of inspiration and optimism that was almost too good to be true.
About Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s Troubled Childhood
Gypsy Rose Blanchard was born in Golden Meadow, Louisiana, on the 27th of July, 1991. Prior to her coming into this world, Dee Dee Blanchard and Rod Blanchard had already gone their separate ways. Dee Dee portrayed Rod as a drug addict and deadbeat who had deserted his daughter, whereas Rod told a different tale.
Rod declared he was 17 when 24-year-old Dee Dee became pregnant with Gypsy Rose. He initially wed Dee Dee after being made aware of her pregnancy but eventually realized that he had “married for the wrong reasons.” Even though they parted ways, Rod kept in touch with Dee Dee and Gypsy Rose and gave them money on a regular basis.
Right from the start, Dee Dee acted like the perfect mother, a devoted single mom who would go to any lengths to help her child. She also seemed to be firmly convinced that her daughter had some kind of serious issue. When Gypsy Rose Blanchard was just a baby, Dee Dee took her to the hospital, claiming that she had sleep apnea.
Despite there being no evidence of the illness, Dee Dee was adamant; she ultimately decided that Gypsy Rose had an undisclosed chromosomal disorder. After that, Dee Dee kept a close eye on her daughter, worrying that something awful could happen at any time. When Dee Dee was asked about her daughter’s diagnosis, she could provide an extensive list of medical conditions, including chromosomal abnormalities, muscular dystrophy, epilepsy, asthma, sleep apnea, and issues with her eyes.
In 2005, Hurricane Katrina caused Dee Dee and Gypsy Rose Blanchard to relocate to Aurora, Missouri. Subsequently, the pair became well-known in the area for standing up for the rights of the disabled and those who were ill. Habitat for Humanity provided a home for them with a wheelchair ramp and hot tub, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation gave them the opportunity to go to Disney World and get exclusive access to a Miranda Lambert concert.
Soon, experts contacted Dee Dee to explore the options for assistance. A pediatric neurologist from Springfield, Bernardo Flasterstein, proposed to offer his aid to Gypsy Rose at his clinic. Whilst she was there, Flasterstein made an unexpected discovery – Gypsy Rose Blanchard did not have muscular dystrophy, nor any of the other ailments Dee Dee had previously professed.
Flasterstein started to have doubts that it was Dee Dee who was actually ill. It is now thought that Dee Dee may have had Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, a psychological condition where a caretaker fabricates diseases for someone in their care.
By 2010, Dee Dee was claiming that Gypsy Rose was 14, though she was actually 19. By then, Rose had realized that she was not as ill as her mother had suggested – she knew she was able to walk. Despite her limited education as a result of homeschooling, she had managed to teach herself to read using the Harry Potter books.
Gypsy Rose had been aware for some time that something wasn’t right, and she had been trying to escape her mother. Once, she went to her neighbor’s house and asked for a ride to the hospital. Dee Dee quickly explained the incident away, something she had become very good at over the years.
Whenever Gypsy Rose started to act independently or imply that she wasn’t an ill little girl, Dee Dee would declare that her daughter’s brain was affected by her illness. People believed her lies because of their sweet personalities and their strong bond. However, Gypsy Rose was getting annoyed.
When Dee Dee was killed by a knife wound in her own house with her ill daughter absent, the area became a state of disorder. A massive search for Gypsy Rose Blanchard was launched, and to everyone’s joy, she was discovered within a few days.
But the Gypsy Rose they discovered was totally different than the one who had gone missing. Instead of seeing a frail, disabled cancer patient, the police found a healthy, vigorous young woman, able to move and feed herself.
What Happened To Gypsy Rose Blanchard?
At the age of 21 in 2012, Gypsy Rose met 23-year-old Nicholas Godejohn from Wisconsin, a man with a criminal record for indecent exposure and a history of mental illness. Despite his past, Gypsy Rose was not deterred. A few months after their meeting, Godejohn paid her a visit when Dee Dee, her mother, was away. This was the start of plotting Dee Dee’s murder.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard had been longing for a savior, and Nicholas Godejohn appeared to fit the bill. The two discussed the murder of Dee Dee through a series of Facebook messages, and Godejohn promised to wait until Dee Dee had gone to sleep before entering the home. Gypsy Rose would be the one to let him in.
On a June night in 2015, it was finally over. While Dee Dee was asleep in bed, Nicholas Godejohn fatally stabbed her seventeen times in the back, with Gypsy Rose in another room. The couple then made a run for Godejohn’s house in Wisconsin, where they were apprehended only a few days later.
Initially, it was assumed that Gypsy Rose Blanchard had been abducted by the murderer, yet police soon uncovered the facts due to the plentiful evidence they had left behind. Quite notably, a strange message was posted on Dee Dee’s Facebook page by Gypsy Rose that read “That B*tch is dead!”, which law enforcement was able to trace to Godejohn’s residence.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard confessed that the reason for her post was so her mother’s corpse would be found. She ended up getting caught, but in turn, she got the chance to finally tell her genuine narrative to the public. Subsequently, the compassion that was always towards Dee Dee was then given to Gypsy Rose Blanchard.
Many people who had previously been heartbroken about Dee Dee’s passing were now infuriated to learn that she had treated her daughter in such a way. Additionally, they were astounded to discover that Gypsy Rose was actually in her twenties, as Dee Dee had manipulated her to look frailer and more youthful by cutting her hair for supposed “leukemia” treatments and allowing her teeth to decay.
Where Is Gypsy Rose Now?
In 2016, Gypsy Rose Blanchard pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was given a 10-year sentence in prison. Nicholas Godejohn was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. Right now, Gypsy Rose is being held at the Chillicothe Correctional Center in Missouri, and she may be up for parole as soon as December 2023.
In 2018, she talked about her time in prison,
“I feel like I’m freer in prison than living with my mom. Because now, I’m allowed to just… live like a normal woman.”
Media outlets have revealed that Gypsy Rose Blanchard wed Ryan Scott Anderson in 2022, based on documents that included the couple’s marriage license. Anderson was 36 at the time of their marriage and hails from Lake Charles, Louisiana. Rose was previously engaged to Ken, whom she met through a pen pal program while in prison. However, InTouch reported their split in August 2019.
