Gypsy Rose Blanchard released from Missouri prison early Thursday morning, DOC confirms

CHILLICOTHE, Mo. − Gypsy Blanchard didn't wait until sunrise to begin her newfound freedom.

Blanchard, who conspired with then-boyfriend Nick Godejohn to kill her abusive mother in 2015, was released from Chillicothe Correctional Center around 3 a.m. Thursday, according to an employee at the entrance of the prison.

Blanchard was granted parole in September after spending eight years behind bars for her role in the infamous case that has since led to documentaries and a streamed television series.

The prison employee told the Springfield News-Leader, part of the USA TODAY Network, that several people and media outlets approached him to inquire about Gypsy's release time Thursday morning, but that she had already left the premises. The Missouri Department of Corrections, which had refused to provide a time Gypsy would be freed, later confirmed the 32-year-old woman's release.

Gypsy recently announced the Jan. 9 release of an eBook, "Released," and said she plans to attend a Dec. 31 Kansas City Chiefs game in hopes of meeting superstar Taylor Swift, who is dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

What was the Gypsy Rose Blanchard case about?

The bizarre nature of the Springfield murder made national headlines and became the subject of documentaries and streamed television series after an investigation revealed details suggesting Gypsy's late mother suffered from Munchausen syndrome by proxy — a mental condition in which someone makes another person ill for sympathy or gain.

Dee Dee Blanchard was alleged to have made Gypsy appear to have a range of physical and developmental ailments — including leukemia, asthma and muscular dystrophy — to gain disability payments and gifts from charities, leading to painful treatment and procedures.

Gypsy, who used a wheelchair before it was discovered she could walk, said she was desperate to escape her mother's abuse and sought help from her online boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn.

Police were alerted to a post on June 14, 2015, on Dee Dee Blanchard’s Facebook page reading, ‘That B*** is dead!’, before her body was found in her home with multiple stab wounds. Before Gypsy was publicly tied to the murder, many Springfield residents were worried that she was also in peril.

Gypsy, pleaded guilty to a second-degree murder charge. She was sentenced to 10 years for her role in the fatal stabbing, and she became eligible for parole after serving 85% of her sentence.

Godejohn was sentenced to life in prison for stabbing and killing Dee Dee Blanchard before he and Gypsy fled to his native Wisconsin. He continues to fight for a new trial, claiming his lawyers' defense failed to properly convey his level of autism in a diminished capacity defense.

How did Gypsy Rose Blanchard kill her mother?

On June 9, 2015, Godejohn traveled to Missouri to help Gypsy enact a plan to escape Dee Dee.

He was let into the Blanchard home after Dee Dee fell asleep and used a knife handed to him by Gypsy to stab the sleeping woman 17 times, killing her. Gypsy later told ABC 20/20 news she hid in the bathroom with hands over her ears during the act.

After this, the couple had sex in Gypsy's bed before fleeing to Godejohn’s motel room via a cab. They then took a bus back to Godejohn's home in Big Bend, Wisconsin after mailing the knife used in the murder from Springfield to Wisconsin.

When was Gypsy Rose Blanchard arrested?

On June 14, 2015, Gypsy and Godejohn were arrested at this home in Big Bend.

Earlier that day, the pair had posted two updates to Dee Dee's Facebook page to draw attention to her yet undiscovered body.

The alarming messages quickly caught the attention of friends and neighbors, who called the police. That evening, authorities discovered Dee Dee's body and Gypsy's abandoned wheelchair in their Missouri home, prompting speculation she had been injured or kidnapped.

Concerned, a neighbor whom Gypsy once confided in told authorities about Godejohn, allowing police to find his social media account and track his location via his IP address.

How long was Gypsy Rose Blanchard in prison?

Gypsy Blanchard agreed to plead guilty to second-degree murder as part of a plea agreement on July 5, 2016. She was sentenced to 10 years in prison and garnered some sympathy from the defense, prosecutors and the public alike after the extent of the suffering her mother had inflicted on her was revealed.

After serving 85% of her 10-year sentence, Gypsy, 32, was officially granted parole in September of 2023. Her release date was set as Dec. 28, 2023.

Is Gypsy Rose Blanchard married?

Gypsy reportedly began dating in prison, eventually marrying Ryan Scott Anderson in July 2022. According to "People," Anderson is a 37-year-old teacher based in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The pair split after three months of marriage but eventually reconciled, the outlet reported.

Gypsy has told news outlets she plans to attend a Kansas City Chiefs game with her husband upon her release.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Gypsy Blanchard released from prison early Thursday: What we know