WARNING: Distressing content

New details have emerged about the death of Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s ex-fiance who was found dead last Thursday.

Ken Urker, 34, had been commenting that he was depressed before he was found dead in his Louisiana home on his birthday.

Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today

When he failed to show up for work, Urker’s boss and Blanchard’s brother Dylan went to the home with concerns prompted by Urker’s recent behaviour, including a recent TikTok video of him driving without saying anything, a police report says.

They gained access to Urker’s home through an unlocked window, and found him dead.

Authorities noted Urker appeared to have been there “for an extended period of time.”

A syringe, a holstered handgun and two shot glasses were on the nightstand next to the bed, the police report said.

Authorities searching the home found drug paraphernalia in the bathroom of the home, including syringes, a spoon, and a “brown powdery substance,” according to the report. 

Gypsy-Rose Blanchard’s ex-fiance Ken Urker has died. Credit: Instagram

Dylan had attended church with Urker the night before, and told police he had made comments about being depressed and upset, according to the report.

Gypsy Rose also released a statement to People the day after her ex-fiance’s death, claiming that Urker had been impacted by the public scrutiny that followed their on-again off-again relationship.

She and Urker became engaged while she was carrying out her 10-year prison sentence for her role in the death of her mother, but they broke up.

While still imprisoned, Blanchard married Ryan Anderson, but they divorced not long after she was released.

Gypsy Rose and Urker started dating again after she and Anderson split. They had a daughter together named Aurora Raina Urker, who they welcomed in December 2024.

Gypsy Rose reportedly texted Urker “Happy Birthday” the day of his death, but did not get a response.

She later gave a heartfelt statement about Urker revealing the suspected cause of death and sharing a tribute.

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

“I’m in disbelief. I can’t think ... I’ve screamed until my throat burns.

“Ken was an amazing father and a man who was deeply loved. He will forever be my soulmate and my red string, a connection that time, distance, and even death can never erase.”

Urker’s sister slams Gypsy Rose

Urker’s sister, Autumn, revealed her last conversation to her brother in a teary TikTok live the day after.

“When I talked to him last night, he said he was going home to go to sleep, and then he had work in the morning,” Autumn said.

Autumn has been involved in longstanding internet feud with Gypsy Rose, and Autumn slammed her in the TikTok live after her brother’s death.

“Ken told me last night, they weren’t together,” Autumn said.

“I didn’t realise Gypsy had already gone to TMZ. She tried to paint a fake narrative that they were engaged.”

Ken Urker’s sister Autumn claims Gypsy Rose and her brother were separated at the time of Urker’s death. Credit: TikTok

Gypsy’s heartfelt tribute

Gypsy Rose told People one day after his death, that Urker would always be her soul mate.

“Ken was an amazing father and a man who was deeply loved. He will forever be my soulmate and my red string, a connection that time, distance, and even death can never erase,” she said.

“Ken endured an unimaginable level of public scrutiny and relentless cyberbullying across social media platforms, including TikTok and Reddit. 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.

“Above all, Ken loved our daughter, Aurora. She is a beautiful reflection of his enduring spirit, and through her, a part of him will always remain with us.

“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.

“There are no words that can express the depth of this loss. I ask for privacy and compassion for our daughter, our families, and everyone grieving Ken during this incredibly painful time.

“He will be deeply missed, forever loved, and never forgotten.”

Years of abuse ends in murder

Blanchard rose to notoriety after she persuaded her then-boyfriend to kill her mother, Clauddine “Dee Dee” Blanchard — who had for years claimed her daughter was suffering from leukaemia, muscular dystrophy and other serious illnesses.

The case sparked worldwide interest after reports emerged Clauddine had essentially kept her daughter prisoner, forcing her to use a wheelchair and feeding tube.

It later transpired that Blanchard, now 35, was perfectly healthy and not developmentally delayed.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard, who admitted to helping her boyfriend kill her abusive mother in a case that generated national attention, was released from prison on parole Thursday local time, a Missouri corrections official told CNN. Credit: AP / USA Today Network via CNN

During the trial, it was revealed Clauddine had Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a psychological disorder in which parents or caregivers seek sympathy through the exaggerated or made-up illnesses of their children.

Through the ruse, the mother and daughter received charitable donations, a trip to Disney World and even a home from Habitat for Humanity.

Clauddine was able to dupe doctors by telling them her daughter’s medical records had been lost in Hurricane Katrina.

If they asked too many questions, she just found a new physician, shaving her daughter’s head to back up her story.

Court case generates national attention

During the trial, Blanchard admitted to helping her boyfriend kill her abusive mother in a case that generated national attention.

Court records show she admitted to being in the house at the time of the murder, knowing her boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, was going to stab Clauddine and doing nothing to stop it.

Blanchard pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2016. Prosecutors sentenced her to 10 years in prison in a plea deal after lawyers uncovered the abuse she experienced at the hands of her mother.

Joey King played Gypsy-Rose Blanchard in Hulu’s limited series The Act. Credit: IMDb

Godejohn was convicted of murder and sentenced in 2019 to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The case inspired multiple documentaries and television dramas, most notably Hulu’s 2019 true-crime limited series The Act.

US actress Joey King played Blanchard, while Patricia Arquette portrayed her mother, with the series dramatising the years of abuse and the events leading up to the murder.

From prison pen pals to real-life partners

Urker first wrote to Blanchard as a prison pen pal in 2017 after watching a documentary about her.

While Blanchard was still behind bars, the pair became engaged but split up in 2019.

She then connected with a special education teacher from Louisiana called Ryan Scott Anderson, who also wrote letters to Blanchard while she was in prison.

Ryan Anderson and Gypsy Rose Blanchard. Credit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

While still incarcerated, Blanchard and Anderson married in July 2022 in a prison ceremony.

After being granted early parole, Blanchard was released from prison in 2023. Soon after, she divorced Anderson and reconnected with Urker.

— with NBC

If you need help in a crisis, call Lifeline on 131114. For further information about depression contact beyondblue on 1300224636 or talk to your GP, local health professional or someone you trust.