Mental health advocate pushes for treatment as juvenile murder, theft and violent assault increase in Minnesota
Mental health advocates in Hennepin County, Minnesota, are pushing for the link between crime and mental health to be examined as serious juvenile crimes increase.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard established herself on social media following her release from a Missouri prison.
On Sunday, the 32-year-old posted a selfie to her Instagram account, which has nearly five million followers, showing off her New Orleans Saints jersey, writing in the caption, "Louisiana love. NFL game day!"
In addition to her selfie, Blanchard also posted a video thanking her supporters and promoting her new documentary series "Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard" as well as her e-book "Released: Conversations on the Eve of Freedom."
"Hey everyone this is Gypsy. I'm finally free!" she said with a smile. "I just want to send a quick video to thank everyone for the massive amount of support that I've been getting on social media. Everyone has been really really nice and supportive. I really appreciate that."
GYPSY ROSE BLANCHARD, WHO PLOTTED THE MURDER OF HER ABUSIVE MOTHER, RELEASED FROM PRISON
Gypsy Blanchard, now 32, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for second-degree murder in 2016, when she was 24, but under Missouri law, she became eligible for parole after serving 85% of her sentence. (Investigation Discovery)
Previously, Blanchard shared a selfie on the day of her release, writing, "First selfie of freedom!" The snap now has over six million likes.
Blanchard also shared a picture of her kissing her husband, Ryan Scott Anderson. The couple was married in 2022 while Blanchard was still in prison.
Blanchard was released Thursday from the Chillicothe Correctional Center after serving eight years of a 10-year sentence for her role in plotting her mother's murder.
She was convicted of second-degree murder in 2016. She convinced an online boyfriend to kill her mother, Clauddine "Dee Dee" Blanchard, after she had allegedly forced her to pretend that she was suffering from leukemia, muscular dystrophy and other serious illnesses for years.
Her mother was found stabbed to death in their Springfield, Missouri home in June 2015.
According to experts, years of psychological and physical abuse, as well as being subjected to numerous unnecessary surgeries and medical tests, are said to be what drove Gypsy to want to kill her mother.
Dee Dee Blanchard, a single mother, likely suffered from a mental illness called Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSBP), which occurs when a person attempts to produce psychological or physical symptoms in another person, according to health experts.
IDAHO STUDENT MURDERS HOUSE DEMOLISHED YEAR AFTER QUADRUPLE STABBING
Experts believe Blanchard's mother, Claudine "Dee Dee" Blanchard, had Munchausen Syndrome by proxy, a psychological illness in which a person — in this case, Dee Dee — pretends another person — Gypsy — is ill in an effort to receive attention or material items out of sympathy for the victim. (Investigation Discovery)
"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 said during an ABC "20/20" interview in 2018. "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."
Dee Dee convinced Gypsy that she had a litany of illnesses, including leukemia, and was years younger than her actual age. (Investigation Discovery)
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Blanchard's life story and the killing of her mother has captivated many across the world and was made famous in a documentary film titled "Mommy Dead and Dearest" which debuted on HBO in 2017 followed by "The Act," a Hulu mini-series that was released in 2019.
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