MANIPULATION LEADS TO MURDER IN INVESTIGATION DISCOVERY'S SHOCKING STORY, "GYPSY'S REVENGE"
(Silver Spring, Md.) - The mother-daughter duo of Dee Dee and Gypsy Rose Blanchard seemingly embodied the resilience of the human spirit. Through carefully constructed videos and photos with heartwarming captions, Dee Dee illustrated her constant devotion as a selfless caregiver to her chronically ill and wheelchair-bound daughter. So when Dee Dee was found murdered in her home in Springfield, Mo. with a Facebook status update of, "That bitch is dead," loved ones expected the worst for her missing, disabled daughter. But the death post came to be the one truth among a lifetime of lies when an able-bodied Gypsy Rose was found in Wisconsin, revealing an extraordinary case of psychological torture and extreme child abuse.
Now, manipulation turned to matricide is explored in GYPSY'S REVENGE, a provocative documentary from Investigation Discovery that delves into the reasons behind and the aftermath of Dee Dee's death from those closest to the pair and medical personnel who treated Gypsy. In a revealing prison interview, viewers watch along as Gypsy comes to terms with her new captivity - which ironically may give her the freedom she always wanted. Providing further insight into the consequences of actions, and in this case, inaction, the two-hour documentary GYPSY'S REVENGE premieres on Tuesday, November 6 at 9/8c on Investigation Discovery.
"Differentiating the victims from the villains in this case proves nearly impossible, but it's clear in GYPSY'S REVENGE that there are no heroes," said Henry Schleiff, Group President of Investigation Discovery, Travel Channel, American Heroes Channel, and Destination America. "Gypsy was clearly failed by our system for years, but this documentary also challenges where to place sympathy and blame."
The 2015 murder of Dee Dee Blanchard garnered national media attention when her daughter, Gypsy, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in her mother's death. The court took into consideration the lifetime of abuse Gypsy had suffered at her mother's hands. Since birth, Dee Dee managed to manipulate the medical system by having her daughter falsely diagnosed with leukemia, vision and hearing impairment and chromosome disorder. Additionally, Gypsy was uneccessarily confined to a wheelchair and fed through a tube surgically inserted into her stomach. While the media exposed Gypsy as a victim of Dee Dee's Munchausen by proxy syndrome - a disease in which a caregiver feigns illness of another to gain sympathy - GYPSY'S REVENGE takes a reflective approach with key players reexamining the murder years later. Featuring interview access with Aleah Woodmansee, Gypsy's friend and neighbor; Dr. Bernardo Flasterstein, a pediatric neurologist who examined Gypsy yet failed to report that she was a victim of Munchausen by proxy; Nicholas Godejohn, Gypsy's ex-boyfriend convicted of first-degree murder in the stabbing of Dee Dee; Dorla Pitre, Dee Dee's sister who recognized a familial pattern of abuse; and others, GYPSY'S REVENGE provides further insight in a world where hindsight is always 20/20.
GYPSY'S REVENGE is produced for Investigation Discovery by Lightbox with Simon Chinn, Jonathan Chinn and Suzanne Lavery as executive producers. For Investigation Discovery, Jeanie Vink is senior executive producer. Sara Kozak is senior vice president of production, Kevin Bennett is general manager, and Henry Schleiff is Group President, Investigation Discovery, Travel Channel, American Heroes Channel and Destination America.
ABOUT INVESTIGATION DISCOVERY (ID)
Investigation Discovery (ID) is the leading crime and justice network on television, delivering the highest-quality programming to approximately 85 million U.S. households. From harrowing crimes to in-depth investigations and heart-breaking mysteries behind these "real people, real stories", the always revealing network challenges our understanding of culture, society and the human condition. The #1 network for women in all of cable, ID's programming is available in both high definition (HD) and standard definition (SD), as well as anytime and anywhere through the network's TV Everywhere offering, IDGo. For exclusive web content and bonus material, fans can follow ID on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook or check out the network's true crime blog, CrimeFeed.
Investigation Discovery is part of Discovery, Inc. (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), a global leader in real life entertainment, serving a passionate audience of superfans around the world with content that inspires, informs and entertains. Available in 220 countries and territories and 50 languages, Discovery delivers over 8,000 hours of original programming each year and has category leadership across deeply loved content genres around the world. For additional information about ID, please visit InvestigationDiscovery.com
ABOUT LIGHTBOX
Headquartered in London and Los Angeles, Lightbox is a multi-platform media company creating high quality non-fiction content. It was founded by two-time Academy Award(R)-winning producer Simon Chinn (Man on Wire, Searching for Sugar Man, Whitney) and Emmy(R)-winning producer Jonathan Chinn (LA 92, American High, Whitney). Lightbox's recent releases include Whitney, a major theatrical feature documentary directed by Academy Award(R) winner Kevin Macdonald. The company is currently in production on Diagnosis (w/t) an innovative Netflix Original documentary series produced in partnership with Scott Rudin Productions and The New York Times; Weinstein (w/t) a theatrical documentary on the Weinstein scandal which will also air on BBC 2; Tina Turner (w/t), a theatrical feature documentary directed by Academy(R) and Emmy Award winners Dan Lindsay and TJ Martin; Cajun Navy, a feature-length documentary for Discovery Channel; as well as feature documentaries and series for Netflix, Investigation Discovery and other networks.
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