The bizarre story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard

The strange and tragic tale of Gypsy Rose Blanchard has captured public and media attention. With last Thursday's prison release, a case involving a web of deception, abuse, and a shocking crime in 2015 comes to an end. From a childhood marked by Munchausen syndrome by proxy to orchestrating her mother's murder, Gypsy's life is a haunting narrative explored in various documentaries, miniseries, and interviews. Just a few days ago, Gypsy Rose was finally released – an event that gained enormous resonance on the Internet, through memes and recaps of her story, drawing empathy worldwide. Gypsy's story has been the subject of documentaries, miniseries, and interviews, including the HBO documentary Mommy Dead and Dearest, the Hulu miniseries The Act, and an upcoming Lifetime docuseries. The case has also inspired literature, with the novel Darling Rose Gold drawing from Gypsy's story.

Who is Gypsy Rose Blanchard?

Gypsy Rose Blanchard, born in Missouri, found herself ensnared in a web of deception woven by her mother, Claudine "Dee Dee" Blanchard. For years, Gypsy was made to believe she suffered from a range of serious illnesses, including leukemia, muscular dystrophy, and other debilitating conditions. Her mother's Munchausen syndrome by proxy led Gypsy to undergo unnecessary medical treatments, use a wheelchair, and even have her salivary glands removed. The extent of the abuse extended beyond the medical realm. Gypsy testified that her mother physically abused her, chaining her to a bed and subjecting her to a life of isolation. Despite suspicions from some, the truth about Gypsy's actual health emerged only after her mother's murder. In June 2015, Gypsy Rose's online boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, stabbed Dee Dee Blanchard to death in their home. Gypsy claimed to have persuaded Godejohn to commit the murder as a way to escape years of abuse and manipulation by her mother.

Godejohn, currently serving a life sentence, argued that he was manipulated by Gypsy and lacked full mental capacity due to autism. In 2016, Gypsy Rose Blanchard pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in exchange for a reduced 10-year prison sentence, avoiding a potential life sentence for first-degree murder. Her parole release occurred three years earlier than the original release date, highlighting the complexity of her case. During her time in prison, Gypsy Rose began to grasp the extent of her mother's manipulation and abuse. She married during her detention and expressed remorse for her role in Dee Dee's murder. Gypsy spoke of the desire for freedom and the willingness to expand every aspect of her life.

What is Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy?

The case highlights the psychological disorders at play, particularly Munchausen syndrome by proxy (now known as Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another or FDIA). This disorder involves a caregiver, often a parent, intentionally creating the appearance of health problems in another person, typically their child. This may include causing harm, altering test samples, or fabricating symptoms. The caregiver then presents the person as sick or injured. The disorder can lead to permanent injuries or death of the victim, occurring without a specific benefit to the caregiver. The cause of FDIA is unknown, but the primary motive is often to gain attention and manipulate physicians. Risk factors include pregnancy-related complications and a history of abuse or factitious disorder in the caregiver. Diagnosis is supported when removing the child from the caregiver results in an improvement of symptoms. The prognosis for the caregiver is poor, and the effectiveness of therapy is uncertain.

In FDIA, the caregiver systematically represents symptoms, fabricates signs, manipulates tests, or harms the "patient" to maintain the medical relationship. The mortality rate is between six and ten percent, making it a highly lethal form of abuse. Those affected are often young, with an average age of four at diagnosis. The mother is the perpetrator in over 95% of cases. Symptoms presented by FDIA victims include apnea, feeding problems, seizures, cyanosis, and behavioral issues. The disorder is challenging to diagnose due to the number and variety of symptoms. FDIA differs from typical physical child abuse due to its unprovoked and premeditated nature. Health professionals inadvertently enable the abuse by reacting to the perpetrators' concerns, leading to unnecessary tests and therapies. Separating the child from the abuser is crucial for the victim's healing, but even after removal, the perpetrator may abuse another child. FDIA can have long-term emotional effects on the child, potentially leading to a permanent disorder. The caregiver, comfortable during the child's hospitalization, might attempt to worsen the conditions during visits. Health professionals often have an obligation to report FDIA to legal authorities.

Gypsy Rose's Case and the Mythologization of Crime

If Gypsy Rose's story has gained such widespread success and turned her into a kind of modern heroine, it's because it's been a story of revenge, almost a modern dark fairy tale, with a protagonist victimized by an "evil" maternal figure who eventually breaks free and, aside from prison, lives happily ever after. In reality, Blanchard's case is more complex: while she is now free after ten years in prison, it remains true that the story revolves around a murder whose executor claims to have been manipulated when not fully capable of understanding and intending. In some ways, Gypsy Rose's story includes at least three victims, only one of whom managed to break free, while one is dead, and the other will spend her life in prison. Blanchard herself has repeatedly spoken of being traumatized by the events and still harbors deep remorse – in short, her sad story is a triumph only superficially, but the damage she caused runs deep.

As mentioned, Gypsy Rose's story has been the focus of various series and documentaries, some of a more prominent profile, falling into the broader modern true crime trend where a certain inmate, due to the exceptional events involved, becomes a kind of star – if not a popular hero. Striking cases include American scammers Anna Delvey and Jordan Belfort, who garnered public admiration for their excessive lives and their crimes (in their case, only financial) that debunked the capitalist myths of the New York elite and Wall Street dealings. Much less love is reserved, for example, for Elizabeth Holmes, who truly played with people's lives by providing incorrect diagnoses; while scammers like Simon Leviev, known as the Tinder Swindler, or the absurd Joe Exotic although not receiving complete public approval, soon transitioned into the realm of memes and jokes. In Italy, something similar happened with the case of Wanna Marchi, whose crimes seemed less severe over time (at the time of her arrest, when the case exploded, the media portrayed her in a much more negative light), and also with Patrizia Reggiani, who entered history for orchestrating her husband Maurizio Gucci's murder.