Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s Partner Ken Urker Found Dead at Louisiana Home

Kenan “Ken” Urker, the partner of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, was found dead Thursday inside his Louisiana residence, the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office confirmed after family members requested a welfare check.

According to an incident report, Anita Blanchard told deputies that she and her husband, who is Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s half-brother, went to Urker’s home after becoming concerned. They saw the 34-year-old lying unresponsive through a window.

A man who accompanied the couple entered the home through a window and discovered Urker. The report states that he was not breathing and felt cold to the touch.

Investigators reported finding syringes and a spoon near a brown, powder-like substance in the bathroom. A handgun, two shot glasses and another syringe were also discovered on a nightstand beside the bed.

Deputies said Urker appeared to have been inside the residence “for an extended period of time.”

Anita Blanchard told investigators that Urker had attended church with her and her husband the night before, at approximately 8:45 p.m. During that visit, she said, he spoke about feeling depressed and distressed.

The couple also told deputies that Urker had started a TikTok livestream at about 11 p.m. According to the report, the video showed him driving without speaking.

Urker had built an audience of more than 36,000 followers on TikTok.

When Urker did not report for work the next day, his employer and Anita Blanchard agreed to check on him. Their concerns eventually led them to call law enforcement.

The sheriff’s office told News Outlet that the investigation is ongoing and that there are currently “no signs of foul play.” Urker was found dead on his 34th birthday.

Officials said they would release another statement if the circumstances change or a significant development emerges in the case.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard received a 10-year prison sentence in 2016 after pleading guilty to second-degree murder for her role in the killing of her mother, Clauddine “Dee Dee” Blanchard. She carried out the fatal stabbing with her then-boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, in a case that later inspired Hulu’s 2019 series “The Act.”

Godejohn was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Blanchard served 85% of her sentence before being released on parole in December 2023.

Urker and Blanchard became engaged in 2018 while she was incarcerated, though they later ended their relationship. The pair eventually reunited following Blanchard’s first marriage and welcomed their daughter, Aurora, on Dec. 28, 2024.

In a statement to PEOPLE, Blanchard said she believes Urker may have died from a drug overdose.

“I don’t know if it was intentional or not,” Blanchard told the outlet. “He was not in a good state of mind lately.”

Blanchard posted a photo of Urker on Instagram Friday, remembering him as “my greatest love story” and writing that he would be “remembered and loved forever.”

She also used her Instagram Story to discuss Urker’s reported struggle with cyberbullying.

“Ken endured an unimaginable level of public scrutiny and relentless cyberbullying across social media platforms, including TikTok and Reddit,” she wrote. “The cruelty directed toward him was something no human being should have to endure. I believe the tremendous weight of that scrutiny and harassment had a profound impact on him, and I hope his passing serves as a reminder that there is a real person behind every screen, every headline, and every comment.”

“I will make sure [Aurora] grows up knowing how deeply her father loved her and who he was beyond what strangers on the internet chose to say about him,” she added.

The post, shared with her one million followers, garnered nearly 100,000 likes within hours.