Gypsy Rose Blanchard Says Ex-Fiancé’s Death Was Not a Suicide

Gypsy-Rose Blanchard says she does not believe her late former fiancé, Ken Urker, died by suicide.

The 35-year-old Raceland, Louisiana, native made the claim in a new update to a Change.org petition she launched in Urker’s memory. The petition calls for “meaningful change in how social-media platforms respond to repeated online harassment.”

Addressing Urker’s death on October 1, Blanchard said the “official cause of death is pending toxicology results,” but added: “We do know with 100% [certainty] that it was not suicide.”

Blanchard, who was involved in a minor car accident in Louisiana on October 17, stressed that her “petition is not about the cause of death itself.” Instead, she said, it focuses on “the extreme cyber bullying that [led] up to his passing.”

She said the online abuse “played a huge role in damaging Ken’s mental health” and led him to rely on “unhealthy coping strategies such as drugs and alcohol.”

Our News Outlet has contacted representatives for Blanchard and the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office for additional comment.

In the petition, Blanchard recalled seeing Urker read negative comments and watch clips containing “hateful, slander[ous] and demeaning” commentary online. She said the material had “a profound negative impact on his mental health.”

Blanchard is urging social media companies to create stronger systems for identifying repeated harassment, include human review in moderation decisions and preserve evidence through a transparent process.

Urker “was found dead upon arrival” on October 1 at a home in Raceland, Louisiana, authorities with the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office told Us Weekly.

Officials told the outlet that deputies were called at 6:15 p.m. that day, which was Urker’s 34th birthday.

The official cause of Urker’s death has not been released as the investigation continues.

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According to the outlet, Anita Blanchard, Gypsy-Rose’s sister-in-law, contacted 911 to request a wellness check on Urker, police said.

She told authorities that Urker had missed his work shift and appeared to be in “a dark place” mentally.

Gypsy-Rose first met Urker while she was imprisoned in connection with the 2015 death of her mother, Clauddine “Dee Dee” Blanchard. At the time, Urker was her pen pal.

Urker initially reached out after watching the 2017 documentary Mommy Dead and Dearest. He later visited Blanchard while she was in custody. The pair became engaged in October 2018 but separated the following year.

Blanchard later began a relationship with Ryan Anderson, and they married in July 2022 while she remained in custody. After her release from prison in late 2023, Blanchard and Anderson separated the following year.

She ultimately rekindled her romance with Urker in 2024, and the two welcomed their daughter Aurora on December 28, 2024.

Following his passing, she called Urker ‘an amazing father and a man who was deeply loved’ in an October 2 Instagram post.

Gypsy-Rose said of Urker: ‘He will forever be my soulmate and my red string, a connection that time, distance, and even death can never erase.’

She said that ‘above all, Ken loved our daughter, Aurora,’ calling her ‘a beautiful reflection of his enduring spirit,’ adding that ‘through her, a part of him will always remain with us.’

Gypsy-Rose added: ‘I will make sure she grows up knowing how deeply her father loved her and who he was beyond what strangers on the internet chose to say about him. He will be deeply missed, forever loved and never forgotten.’

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.