Gypsy Rose Blanchard, who is currently serving time for the second-degree murder of her mother, once wrote to her fans to ask them to do her a favour.
The 32-year-old was convicted after her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard, was found dead in June 2015, lying face down in her bedroom. She was later sentenced to 10 years behind bars for second-degree murder, while her boyfriend at the time, Nick Godejohn, pleaded not guilty but was later convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
It was speculated that Dee Dee had Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a mental illness and a form of child abuse in which a caregiver either makes up fake symptoms or causes real symptoms to make it look like the child is sick.
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Dee Dee had claimed that her daughter had leukaemia, asthma and muscle dystrophy, as well as having the 'mental capacity of a seven-year-old' due to brain damage.
When Gypsy was only eight years old, she fell off her grandfather's motorcycle and grazed her knee, but her mother was convinced it was far more serious and decided that her daughter must remain in a wheelchair so as not to aggravate her knee further.
The mother and daughter duo had also received benefits after becoming very high-profile as a result of their campaigning for the rights of the sick and disabled. They earned trips to Disney World and backstage passes to Miranda Lambert concerts.
An investigation concluded that Gypsy did not have any of the illnesses her mother said she had, while Gypsy maintained that her mother was controlling her through psychological and physical abuse.
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In 2019, Gypsy asked her supporters, via a statement, to write letters on her behalf to petition for her release.
She wrote: “Hello Friends and Supporters. I appreciate the continued encouragement throughout my prison sentence."
“Many of y’all signed the Free Gypsy Blanchard petition created by my father, Rod Blanchard. Now, I must ask a favour.
"I am respectfully asking all who wish me an early release to please aid my father in his efforts for my freedom and write a letter expressing support for my early release to either the Missouri State Governor, Michael L. Parson, AND/OR the Division of the Missouri State Board of Probation and Parole."
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Despite her letter to fans, Gypsy still remains imprisoned at Missouri’s Chillicothe Correctional Center following her hearing in December 2021.
After her imprisonment in November 2018, Blanchard has been the source of widespread interest, serving as the inspiration for the Amazon drama series The Act.
Featured Image Credit: Dr Phil / HBOTopics: Crime, True Crime, Gypsy Rose Blanchard