A relative said the anger that Gypsy felt toward her mother had been building for years.
Bobby Pitre, who is the cousin of Gypsy Blancharde and the nephew of Clauddinnea "Dee Dee" Blancharde, said the mother "imprisoned" the daughter and forced her to act like she was disabled — shaving her head and making her use a wheelchair.
When Pitre got news Tuesday that Dee Dee was dead and Gypsy had been charged with murder, he said he was surprised — but only to a certain degree.
"It's a shocker, for sure," Pitre said. "But at the same time, I feel like it was just a ticking time bomb."
Pitre said Dee Dee made Gypsy pretend like she had muscular dystrophy, forced the girl to take seizure medication that made her teeth fall out and even shaved the girl's head so it would look like she had leukemia.
Pitre said there were instances when Gypsy would get out of her wheelchair and push other children around. He said Gypsy once got up and started jumping on a trampoline only to "collapse" when Dee Dee came outside and saw her.
Pitre — who lives in Larose, Louisiana — said when family members started confronting Dee Dee about her treatment of Gypsy, the mother stopped communicating with the family. Pitre said he has not talked with Dee Dee or Gypsy for the past 15 years.
"It was basically all a fraud," Pitre said. "I was so disgusted with the woman. I could not believe what she was doing."
Pitre said he believed Dee Dee's intention was to keep Gypsy from having her own life. He said Gypsy was home-schooled and spent most of her time at her mother's side.
"Dee Dee would keep her as close as she possibly could," Pitre said. "I think that's how Dee Dee wanted it. I don't think she ever wanted her to leave."
Greene County Sheriff Jim Arnott said Tuesday that authorities were not sure of Gypsy's exact age. Initial reports were that she was 19, but Arnott said she could be as old as 23.
Pitre said he believes Gypsy is 23, and Dee Dee changed her daughter's birth records several times for monetary gain.
Authorities say Gypsy's boyfriend, Nicholas P. Godejohn, 26, came down to Greene County from Wisconsin and stabbed Dee Dee to death last week at Gypsy's request.
Gypsy — who neighbors believed was disabled — then traveled back to Wisconsin with Godejohn, where she was arrested, authorities said. She was able to walk and carry her own luggage during the journey.
Dee Dee and Gypsy told people they moved to a Habitat for Humanity-built home just north of Springfield in 2008 after their home in Louisiana was destroyed during Hurricane Katrina, but Arnott said the mother and daughter were involved in a financial scheme.
Pitre said he was not sure whether the mother and daughter lost their home in Katrina.
Pitre said he's heard from other relatives that Gypsy attempted to run away from Dee Dee on a few different occasions over the years.
Looking back, Pitre said he wished he would have done more to try to help Gypsy, but he was young the last time he saw the mother and daughter.
"She took Gypsy and it seemed like she almost imprisoned her," Pitre said.
"Maybe I could have done more to get Gypsy out of there, but I had no idea how to do it."
