# Dee Dee Blanchard Autopsy Report: Full Details Revealed The 2015 murder of Clauddine "Dee Dee" Blanchard in Springfield, Missouri, initially appeared to be a tragic crime that left a severely disabled, helpless daughter alone in the world. However, the subsequent investigation and the stark, clinical details of the Dee Dee Blanchard autopsy report peeled back the layers of a story far more complex and disturbing than anyone could have imagined. The post-mortem examination provided the irrefutable, grim evidence of a violent end, serving as the factual cornerstone for a case that would expose a lifetime of unfathomable abuse and deception.  The investigation began on June 14, 2015, after concerned friends saw alarming posts on a shared Facebook account belonging to Dee Dee and her daughter, Gypsy Rose. One post chillingly read, "That Bitch is dead!" When Dee Dee failed to answer her phone, neighbors called the Greene County Sheriff's Office. Deputies entered the small pink house built by Habitat for Humanity and discovered Dee Dee Blanchard's body in her bedroom. The initial search also revealed that Gypsy Rose, who the community believed suffered from leukemia, muscular dystrophy, and a host of other ailments that confined her to a wheelchair, was missing, sparking fears of a kidnapping. This fear was short-lived. The investigation quickly traced the IP address of the Facebook posts to a location in Big Bend, Wisconsin. There, authorities found Gypsy Rose, not as a victim, but as a suspect, alongside her boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn. She was walking on her own and in perfect health. The shocking truth began to emerge: Gypsy Rose was a victim not of illness, but of her mother's severe case of Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a mental health disorder now more formally known as Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another (FDIA). Dee Dee had fabricated all of Gypsy's illnesses, forcing her daughter to undergo countless unnecessary medical procedures and live as a frail invalid for years. The murder, it turned out, was Gypsy’s desperate escape. ### The Greene County Medical Examiner's Findings With Godejohn confessing to the physical act of the murder and Gypsy Rose admitting her role in planning it, the focus shifted to the forensic evidence. The Dee Dee Blanchard autopsy report, prepared by the Greene County Medical Examiner's Office, provided a dispassionate and detailed account of her death, which became a critical piece of evidence in the subsequent legal proceedings. ### Cause and Manner of Death The report was unequivocal in its primary conclusions. * **Official Cause of Death:** Multiple sharp-force injuries. * **Official Manner of Death:** Homicide. This clinical determination established that Dee Dee Blanchard died as a direct result of being stabbed repeatedly and that her death was at the hands of another person. This finding eliminated any ambiguity and provided the legal foundation for the murder charges filed against both Godejohn and Gypsy Rose. ### Detailed Examination of Injuries The autopsy meticulously documented the extent of the brutal attack. The medical examiner identified a total of **17 stab wounds**, the vast majority of which were inflicted on Dee Dee's back and neck. This detail was significant, suggesting she was likely attacked while lying face down in her bed, asleep and unaware. The lack of significant defensive wounds on her hands or arms further supported the theory that she was caught completely by surprise and was unable to fight back. The wounds varied in depth and severity, with several being fatal. The report noted that some of the stabs were deep enough to penetrate her lungs, causing catastrophic internal bleeding. The sheer number and force of the wounds painted a picture of a frenzied and violent assault, a detail that would later be emphasized by the prosecution during Nicholas Godejohn's trial to argue for premeditation and extreme cruelty. As Greene County Prosecutor Dan Patterson would later state in court, the crime was "a very deliberate, thought-out, planned-out murder." ### Toxicology and Other Findings The autopsy also included a standard toxicology screening to test for the presence of drugs, alcohol, or other substances in Dee Dee's system. The results of the toxicology report were negative, indicating that she was not under the influence of any substances at the time of her death. Furthermore, the general physical examination part of the autopsy confirmed that Dee Dee Blanchard, then 48 years old, was a relatively healthy woman. Aside from the fatal injuries, there were no signs of significant underlying diseases or chronic illnesses. This finding, while standard for an autopsy, was profoundly important in the context of the larger case. It stood in stark contrast to the public image of a woman who dedicated her life to caring for a supposedly terminally ill child, an image that sometimes implied she herself might be suffering from the stress of caregiving. The report confirmed she was physically capable, underscoring the calculated nature of her long-term deception regarding Gypsy's health. ### The Autopsy's Role in the Legal Proceedings The autopsy report was a cornerstone of the prosecution's case, particularly against Nicholas Godejohn, who wielded the knife. The forensic evidence corroborated his confession and provided the jury with a graphic, factual account of the violence he inflicted. The sheer brutality detailed in the report—the 17 stab wounds—was used to argue for a charge of first-degree murder, which requires proof of deliberation. The prosecution successfully argued that the attack was not a spontaneous act of passion but a calculated killing. Godejohn was ultimately found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. For Gypsy Rose, the autopsy's role was more nuanced. While it confirmed the violent crime she helped orchestrate, her defense centered on the extreme psychological and physical abuse she had endured for over two decades. Her legal team argued that the murder was a direct result of the desperate situation Dee Dee's FDIA had created. The public sympathy for Gypsy, combined with the overwhelming evidence of abuse, led to a plea deal. She pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 10 years in prison, becoming eligible for parole in 2023. The Dee Dee Blanchard autopsy report, therefore, did more than just determine a cause of death. It was the first official document that began to unravel a dark and tangled story of abuse. It provided the grim, undeniable facts of the crime, which in turn forced the legal system and the public to look deeper into the "why." The cold, hard evidence of a violent homicide was the catalyst that brought the hidden world of Gypsy Rose's fabricated illnesses and real-life torture into the light, transforming a seemingly straightforward murder case into a complex and cautionary tale about deception, abuse, and the desperate lengths one might go to in order to escape it.