Gypsy Rose Blanchard's release from prison latest twist in shocking Munchausen by Proxy case
Warning: A screenshot from a Facebook page contains a derogatory term.
Another chapter is coming to an end in perhaps one of the most infamous true-crime cases in the past 15 years.
The case of Clauddine "Dee Dee" and Gypsy Rose Blanchard has gone down in American history as one of the most recognized cases of suspected Munchausen by Proxy, a psychological condition that causes a caregiver to engage in attention-seeking behavior by making the person or people under their care ill or making people believe they are ill.
After serving 85% of her sentence, Gypsy, now 32, was released from prison on Thursday. On Friday, she posted her first social media post since her release, with the caption 'First selfie of freedom.'
Now known as "Factitious disorder imposed on another," it is suspected this disorder is what caused Dee Dee to lie to friends, family, charities, doctors and even Gypsy herself, convincing everyone her daughter was severely ill and much younger than she was.
Dee Dee went as far as to convince Gypsy she was unable to walk, breathe or eat normally, requiring a wheelchair, feeding tube and oxygen. It was later proven Gypsy was capable of walking, eating and breathing unassisted.
Dee Dee's medical abuse of Gypsy began when she was just 8 years old, at which time she said her daughter had been diagnosed with leukemia and muscular dystrophy and needed a wheelchair and feeding tube, among other medical accommodations.
Her propensity for reporting her daughter as being sick started even earlier, when Dee Dee insisted Gypsy experienced sleep apnea as an infant soon after birth. Dee Dee also later insisted Gypsy had seizures, asthma, and hearing and visual issues and had doctors prescribe medications and perform surgeries for these conditions.
Gypsy and her boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, later devised a plan to escape Dee Dee, resulting in her death via stabbing. Following the murder, Gypsy was sentenced to 10 years and has since become a well-known figure, granting interviews about her life and crimes and becoming the subject of documentaries and television shows like "Mommy Dead and Dearest" and "The Act."
After years of twists and turns in the case, the public has a rapt eye on Blanchard to see what happens once she is freed from incarceration. Need a recap of the complex situation? Brush up on the details with our timeline.
Gypsy Rose: Gypsy Rose Blanchard shares selfie on Instagram after release from prison
March 2008: Dee Dee and Gypsy move to Springfield, Missouri
When the Blanchards arrived in Missouri in September 2005, Dee Dee told neighbors their apartment in Louisiana and Gypsy's medical records had been destroyed in Hurricane Katrina. With no reason not to believe the seemingly devoted mother and her sick daughter (who had a shaved head and missing teeth that were pulled after medication caused them to rot), the local Habitat for Humanity built a pink, accessible home for them in Springfield.
Before the pink home's completion in March 2008, the pair lived in temporary housing in Aurora, Missouri. The community rallied around the family in other ways, hosting charity events, giving donations and sponsoring Gypsy for trips and medical care.
February 2011: Gypsy tries to escape
While multiple doctors expressed concerns about Gypsy's health between 2007 and 2009, with one even noting that he suspected Dee Dee was suffering from Munchausen by Proxy, she remained under the care of her mother.
In February of 2011, Gypsy attempted her first and seemingly only escape from her mother's home after meeting a 35-year-old man at a science fiction convention and speaking with him online. She followed the man to his hotel room where she was discovered by Dee Dee. The then 19-year-old Gypsy had been told by her mother she was only 15 years old, a claim Dee Dee repeated to the man before bringing her daughter home.
According to Gypsy, Dee Dee punished her severely after this attempt at running away, smashing her phone and computer, chaining her to a bed and placing bells on all the doors so she couldn't escape.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard book: Here's how Gypsy Rose Blanchard's new book, 'Released,' is being promoted on social media
October 2012: Gypsy and Nicholas Godejohn start chatting online
Gypsy often snuck onto a Christian dating site when Dee Dee wasn't watching and it was there that she first spoke to Nicholas Godejohn. Godejohn, who lived in Big Bend, Wisconsin and had been diagnosed with autism, took a liking to Gypsy.
The two began a multi-year relationship maintained through video calls and online messages, all of which were kept secret from the controlling Dee Dee.
October 2014: Gypsy confides in a neighbor
Gypsy Rose Blanchard release: Gypsy Blanchard's release from prison looms as Nicholas Godejohn fights for new trial
Gypsy became friendly with neighbor Aleah Woodmanse, whom she would chat with on a secret Facebook account. In October of 2014, she confided in Woodmanse about her online relationship, saying she was in love with Godejohn and the two were planning out a future together.
She told Woodmanse the couple planned to run away or elope and had been engaged in a romantic and sexually explicit relationship through their digital communications. Incorrectly believing Gypsy was still a minor, this alarmed Woodmanse.
March 2015: Blanchard and Godejohn meet in person
Devising a plan to win Dee Dee over and secure her approval of the relationship, Gypsy and Godejohn agreed to meet in person for the first time in March 2015.
Godejohn made his way to a movie theater in Springfield, Missouri where Dee Dee and Gypsy were planning to see Disney’s "Cinderella" movie. The two met at the theater with Gypsy dressed as Cinderella and Godejohn as Prince Charming.
While the couple were able to sneak to the bathroom and have sex for the first time, the meeting did not end well, as Dee Dee did not like Godejohgn upon their introduction.
Gypsy later said that her mother's punishment after this incident led her to begin pondering escape from Dee Dee via desperate measures. Godejohn and Gypsy began plotting this together.
June 9, 2015: Murder of Dee Dee Blanchard
On June 9, 2015, Godejohn again traveled to Missouri to meet up with Gypsy. This time, he checked into a motel room and waited for the cue from Gypsy indicating Dee Dee was asleep.
That night, he went to the Blanchards’ house and was given a knife, gloves and duct tape by Gypsy, who later told ABC 20/20 news “I honestly thought he would end up not doing it."
While she hid in the bathroom with hands over her ears, Godejohn stabbed the unsuspecting Dee Dee 17 times, killing her. 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 Big Bend after mailing the knife used in the murder from Springfield to Wisconsin.
June 14, 2015: Dee Dee found dead thanks to Facebook post
After a few days of 48-year-old Dee Dee's body remaining undiscovered in her home, Gypsy and Godejohn posted two updates to Dee Dee's Facebook page to draw attention to the crime.
One read, “That (expletive) is dead!” and the second said “I (expletive) SLASHED THAT FAT PIG AND RAPED HER SWEET INNOCENT DAUGHTER…HER SCREAM WAS SOOOO (expletive) LOUD LOL.”
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 the home, prompting speculation she had been injured or kidnapped.
Concerned, Woodmanse told police about Gypsy's relationship with Godejohn, allowing police to find his social media account and track his location via his IP address.
June 15, 2015: Gypsy and Nicholas are caught
Following the information garnered from the Facebook posts, police tracked the couple to Godejohn's home, which they raided on June 15, 2015.
Godejohn surrendered and was taken into custody, and Gypsy was found unharmed and later placed under arrest as well. She initially denied involvement but later confessed after Godejohn told police they had planned the crime together. They were extradited to Missouri, where friends were initially happy to hear Gypsy was alive and unharmed.
The couple's bond was set at $1 million and the Springfield sheriff later said in a press conference, “Things are not always as they appear,” a precursor to the revelations that Gypsy could not only walk but had never been sick in the first place, shocking all those who knew them.
July 5, 2016: Gypsy pleads guilty to murder
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.
Gypsy has since said in interviews that she didn't hate her mother, but simply wanted to escape her tyranny. She later took the stand in Godejohn's 2018 trial, reveling more lurid details of her mother's abuse.
November 2018: Godejohn found guilty
While Godejohn's defense argued he had a diminished capacity and believed he was saving Gypsy by murdering her mother, a jury found him guilty in November of 2018.
February 22, 2019: Godejohn sentenced to life
Godejohn was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in February of 2019. His team has since begun fighting for a retrial.
July 2022: Gypsy gets married in prison
Gypsy's case proved controversial, with some people believing she didn't deserve jail time in the first place. However, she famously told 20/20 that she felt freer in prison than with her mother.
“The prison that I was living in before, with my mom, it’s, like, I couldn’t walk. I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t have friends. I couldn’t go outside, you know, and play with friends or anything,” Gypsy told 20/20. “Over here, I feel like I’m freer in prison than with living with my mom. Because now, I’m allowed to … just live like a normal woman.”
Gypsy reportedly picked back up dating in prison, eventually marrying Ryan Scott Anderson in July 2022.
September 2023: Gypsy granted parole
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.
December 28, 2023: Gypsy released from prison
Gypsy Rose Blanchard is set to be released from prison on Thursday, December 28, at which point she plans to see a Kansas City Chiefs game with her husband and release her e-book “Released: Conversations on the Eve of Freedom” which is set to publish Jan. 9, 2024.
It is not yet known where she plans to go after her release.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Gypsy Rose, Mommy Dead and Dearest subject, released from prison
