Gypsy Rose Blanchard, 32, has officially been released from prison after serving seven years for her role in the murder of her mother, Clauddinnea "Dee Dee" Blanchard.
Various news outlets and publications, including CBS, ABC, and People Magazine, state Gypsy was released from the Chillicothe Correctional Center in Missouri at 3:30 a.m. (local time) on Thursday.
"I'm ready for freedom," Gypsy told People just before her release. "I'm ready to expand and I think that goes for every facet of my life."
Gypsy, and her boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, were arrested in 2015 for the murder of Dee Dee, who allegedly abused her daughter and kept her sick for years. Gypsy was a victim of Munchausen by proxy, a form of abuse when a "guardian exaggerates or induces illness in a child for attention and sympathy."
Gypsy Rose Blanchard and Nicholas Godejohn's mugshots in 2015.
At the time, Gypsy used a wheelchair and appeared to have a diminished mental capacity. However, investigators soon realized her medical diagnosis had been false. Dee Dee had convinced Gypsy—and the public—that she was extremely sick, when she wasn't.
Gypsy grew up believing she suffered from various medical conditions, including leukemia, muscular dystrophy, vision and hearing impairments, and seizures. She had a feeding tube and underwent multiple surgeries that were later deemed to be unnecessary. On top of all that, Dee Dee lied about Gypsy's age, making her seem younger than she really was.
"She physically chained me to the bed and put bells on the doors and told ... anybody that I probably would've trusted that I was going through a phase and to tell her if I was doing anything behind her back," Gypsy told ABC News' 20/20 back in 2017.
Gypsy pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2016 and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Nicholas was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.
Patricia Arquette and Joey King as "Dee Dee" and Gypsy Rose Blanchard in Hulu's The Act.
The story of Gypsy and Dee Dee inspired both an HBO documentary, Mommy Dead and Dearest, and a Hulu miniseries, The Act. In addition, a six-hour special called The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard is coming to Lifetime on January 5.
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