Episode 41: Murdering Mommy Dearest
Episode description
Throughout Gypsy Rose’s childhood her mother Dee Dee Blanchard, a former nurse’s aide, made claims about her daughter’s health which resulted in a series of dire diagnoses and unneeded medical interventions. Due to Dee Dee's claims of Gypsy Rose’s aliments, she was prescribed a catalogue of medications, had to sleep using a breathing machine, was on a feeding tube, and went through multiple surgeries, including procedures on her eyes and the removal of her salivary glands. On the surface Dee Dee seemed like a devoted mother who gave her daughter everything she ever wanted. For over 20 years, they were the seemingly perfect picture of inspiration and hope. Unbelievably though, Gypsy Rose was not unwell, in fact her mother had been lying about her symptoms for years. Experts believe Dee Dee had a mental illness known as Munchausen syndrome by proxy or also called factitious disorder imposed on another, which made her fabricate her daughter's ill health in order to receive attention and sympathy for taking care of a sick child. However, the truth about Dee Dee’s torturous unneeded medical treatments for her daughter would only come to light in 2015, when Dee Dee was found stabbed to death in their home. Investigators discovered that Gypsy Rose arranged for her online boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn to murder Dee Dee and less than 48 hours later, Gypsy Rose and Nicholas were apprehended. In July of 2015 Gypsy Rose accepted a plea bargain agreement and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Nicholas was sentenced to life in prison in February of 2019. So, was Dee Dee’s murder committed by two sinister minds or had Dee Dee’s actions against her daughter drive Gypsy Rose to find an accomplice and help free her from the hell she had been living in.
References:
All About Gypsy Rose Blanchard Case That Inspired 'The Act' (people.com)
True Story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard That Inspired The Act Hulu Series (esquire.com)
Gypsy Rose Blanchard Now 2020: Is She Still in Jail? Is She Married? (thecinemaholic.com)
Gypsy Rose Blanchard, The 'Sick' Child Who Killed Her Mother (allthatsinteresting.com)
The Story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard and Her Mother (biography.com)
Gypsy Rose's family friends share concerns ahead of her release from prison (tyla.com)
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