Perhaps you have reviewed the infamous case of Gypsy Rose Blanchard once or twice through documentaries such as Mommy Dead and Dearest by Erin Lee Carr on HBO. However, most are unfamiliar with her fathers’ attempts to free his daughter from jail, to move her to a psychiatric institution or back home.

For those who are unfamiliar with the case, a short summary. On July 5, 2016, Gypsy Rose Blanchard was charged with second-degree murder of her lifelong guardian and mother Dee Dee Blanchard. Gypsy had been living a life of unimaginable abuse that led her to believe her only possible escape was to murder her imprisoned. Dee Dee convinced doctors, social workers, charities, celebrities and even members of her own community that her perfectly healthy daughter suffered from various life-threatening illnesses. These included Leukemia, muscular dystrophy, sleep apnea, retardation, vision and hearing impairment to name a few. Dee Dee’s actions compromised her child’s quality of life severely and led to several completely unnecessary treatments and sadly misplaced donations from charities.

From the age of 6 onwards, Gypsy was confined to a wheelchair and lived a limited life. Eventually, this abuse led to extreme measures. The long term effects of Dee Dee’s abuse are not totally clear yet, however, Gypsy lost several teeth due to the medication and even underwent surgery to insert a feeding tube which allowed Dee Dee to medicate Gypsy.

Gypsy and her boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, who she met on a Christian dating website, conspired to murder her mother. Nicholas stabbed Dee Dee and slit her throat while Gypsy hid in fear in the bathroom.

To many, it would seem completely unjustified to imprison Gypsy instead of offering her the rehabilitation she requires as a victim of domestic abuse and malpractice for her entire childhood. Gypsy fully acknowledged her role as an accessory in her mothers’ murder with her boyfriend and has even admitted that she feels freer in prison than she ever did in her mother’s home.

Today, Rod Blanchard, Gypsy’s father attempts to free his daughter from prison and improve the life she has been forced to live. As a result of Dee Dee’s extremely controlling efforts, Rod was often unable to see his own daughter after he separated from Dee Dee during her pregnancy.

He is collecting online signatures for his petition and currently needs roughly 9,000 more. Rod hopes to relocate his daughter to a mental facility from Chillicothe Corrections Centre in Missouri where she is serving her sentence. Otherwise, Gypsy is eligible for parole in 2024, when she will be 32 years of age.

https://www.change.org/p/missouri-governor-free-gypsy-rose-blanchard