Gypsy Blanchard is 'thriving' in prison
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How is Gypsy Blanchard after a year and a half in prison?
"She is doing amazing," Kristy Blanchard said of her 26-year-old stepdaughter, who is currently serving a 10-year sentence for her role in the 2015 death of her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard.
The case drew international attention for its lurid details. As the Blanchard case was investigated and moved to trial, it became apparent that Gypsy had suffered years of medical child abuse — also known as Munchausen-by-proxy syndrome or factitious disorder — perpetrated by Dee Dee.
Gypsy's mother confined her to a wheelchair and duped health care providers into making false diagnoses and prescribing unnecessary medications.
2019 update:How is Gypsy Blanchard doing in prison? 'She's just looking forward,' stepmom says
Background:Everything you need to know about the Gypsy Blanchard case
Today, Gypsy is working toward earning her GED and participating in the research process for "By Proxy," a proposed scripted TV series about the case, Blanchard said.
The News-Leader interviewed Gypsy's stepmother Monday with a phone call to Blanchard's home in Cut Off, Louisiana.
"She is thriving," Blanchard said. "There has been no long-term side effects from all the medication her mom had given her. She has a clean bill of health, thank God — and I really only think what it has done was stunt her growth. Now, don't get me wrong, her eyes, she does have a lazy eye if she doesn't wear her glasses all the time. That was since she was a little baby. Everything else was all a lie."
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Gypsy has seen some, but not all, of the media hype surrounding her life, Blanchard said. For example, prison officials did not allow Gypsy to view "Mommy Dead and Dearest" after HBO released the documentary in May.
"Which I'm glad she didn't see it," Blanchard said. "Because there are graphic pictures."
The first time Gypsy saw video of herself being interrogated by law enforcement was last fall, when she was interviewed for the "Dr. Phil" show, Blanchard said. That was also the first moment when Gypsy saw photos of the murder scene.
"I was really worried at first about it," Blanchard said, referring to the interview with Phil McGraw and the interrogation video. "You know, she didn't have a parent or a family member on the side with her when she watched it."
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Gypsy called her stepmother afterward and said that seeing the crime scene "choked her up a little bit," Blanchard said. "But she handled it as best as she could."
Blanchard described her stepdaughter as "happy-go-lucky."
"Despite everything, she still tells me that she's happier now than with her mom," Blanchard said. "And that if she had a choice to either be in jail, or back with her mom, she would rather be in jail."
Franchesca Macelli, a screenwriter working with the Blanchard family to produce the proposed TV series, said she has interviewed Gypsy since June and believes the 26-year-old is "very open about everything," trying to answer questions about her case as accurately as possible, as far as she can remember.
Some events took place when Gypsy was a very small child.
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"She's such a warm and caring person, which is such an oxymoron," Macelli told the News-Leader on Monday. "You would think of a murderer as callous, hateful, horrible, but she's a caring person."
Gypsy has even sent Macelli get-well cards and a "very beautiful Christmas card," Macelli said.
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Blanchard noted that there are petitions asking Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens to "free Gypsy Rose Blanchard" on the internet, including one created by Gypsy's father, Rod Blanchard, on change.org.
Blanchard would like to see Gypsy released from prison before the full 10-year sentence transpires, but she said she and Gypsy are both realistic about the topic.
"Y'all's governor is in a lot of hot water right now," Blanchard said, referring to Greitens' current felony indictment for invasion of privacy and his investigation by Missouri legislators that was announced Monday.
"We talk about it," Blanchard said. "She says, 'if I can't get out earlier, even with the petition, I'm fine with that.' She's really fine with that. She's just glad she's not under her mother's care. I mean, even though she went from one prison to another."
"At least where she's at now, she can say what wants to say, can eat what she wants to eat, she can walk, there's nobody telling her 'you can't say that,' stuff like that," Blanchard said.
"So for Gypsy, it's a lot of freedom. It's a lot of freedom."