Alexa Riccardi
Professor Toohey
ENG 170-28
Research Paper Draft
30 April 2024

Dee Dee Blanchard: Doting Mother or Devilish Monster?

May 3, 1967 was the day Claudinea “Dee Dee” Pitre, came into the world in Chackbay, Louisiana. She married Rod Blanchard when she was around 24 years old and had her first and only born, Gypsy Rose Blanchard. That name would go on to be historic in the world of true crime.
To the average outsider, Gypsy Rose was the sickest child anybody had ever seen. From the time she was an infant, Dee Dee claimed that her daughter was suffering from a numerous range of disabilities and illnesses, including leukemia, muscular dystrophy, epilepsy, and mental retardation. () Because of this, Dee Dee was presented as this loving and caring parent, who was deeply committed to meeting Gypsy’s needs, without a father figure for her daughter in the picture. She was seen as a town sweetheart due to her perceived selflessness and dedication to caring for her daughter. The community’s sympathy for Gypsy’s medical conditions led to widespread admiration and support for Dee Dee. She was praised for her strength and selflessness in caring for her supposedly sick daughter, further enhancing her reputation as a devoted mother and a pillar of the community. However, the local darlings had a secret, and the community was in for a shock.
On June 14, 2015, Dee Dee Blanchard was found murdered in her home. This came across as a massive surprise to the close friends of the mother and daughter. How could anybody hurt such a sweet person? Why would they target the mother of a disabled child? and the main question… Where was Gypsy?
Authorities initially believed Gypsy was missing and possibly abducted. However, they found Gypsy and her online boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, a few days later in Wisconsin. () Subsequent interrogation and evidence gathering revealed that Gypsy had conspired with Godejohn to murder her mother. .
Yes, people were shocked that this sweet, innocent angel was involved in the brutal killing of her own mother who she loved so dearly. But they were more surprised that she was found out of her wheelchair on both feet, and was walking like she had always been completely normal.
This is when everybody realized what was actually happening behind closed doors. Dee Dee Blanchard was not the caring mother she had always claimed to be. She was a monster who faked her daughter’s disabilities to reap the benefits.
Dee Dee Blanchard’s case is a well-known example of Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a form of abuse in which a caregiver, often a parent, fabricates or induces illness in someone under their care to gain sympathy and attention. Dee Dee subjected Gypsy to unnecessary medical treatments and surgeries which led to significant harm to her. Gypsy has also spoken out and stated that her mother was physically and mentally abusive. ()
Gypsy claims that while under her mothers care, she was hit numerous times with a coat hanger and would be chained to her bed as punishment.() Her mother would tell her that she would never find love and even supposedly went as far as to use witchcraft to hex her so nobody would want to be with her. () This took a massive toll on Gypsy’s mental health and though it’s been years since her mother’s death, she still believes that the spell has taken effect as she has been unable to find true love in her life.
Dee Dee Blanchard’s family all confirm that her ties with witchcraft are very real. Her family, including her father and stepmother, have described her as manipulative and deceitful. . Her father, Claude Pitre Jr. has stated that he believes Dee Dee got what she deserved, referring to her murder at the hands of her daughter. But her dad isn’t such a good guy either.
In recent years, Gypsy has come out to say that her grandfather, Dee Dee’s father, sexually abused her as a child. Pitre was directly asked about the allegation but denied it. His response was shocking, “She was the one that was trying to touch me, and I’d say no, don’t do that,” Pitre claims in the documentary. “She started doing that when she was about 4 years old.” ()
Dee Dee Blanchard could’ve been a victim of sexual abuse growing up, which could be a valuing factor as to why she was so engrossed in controlling her daughter and keeping her away from things that she saw as dangerous.

 

I don’t have much because I’m planning to rework the paragraphs a little. I feel like they’re a little jumbled. I plan to add the citations later, I just haven’t put them through the thing that adds it for you on the docs settings.