Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s late ex Ken Urker told friends that he was depressed one day before he was found dead at age 34.
A report from the Louisiana’s Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office, which Us obtained, includes interviews with Gypsy Rose’s half-brother, Dylan Blanchard, and his wife, Anita Blanchard, after Urker’s body was discovered at his Raceland residence on Thursday, October 1.
Anita placed a 911 call for help when Urker failed to answer his phone or the door at his apartment after she and Dylan, along with Urker’s boss Justin Daigle, tried to check on him. Anita informed an emergency dispatcher that Dylan and Daigle were able to move some blinds to gain entry into the residence through a window, where they found Urker unconscious and “cold to the touch,” per the report.
A sheriff’s department spokesperson confirmed to Us that Urker “was found dead upon arrival” when police responded to the scene shortly thereafter.
In their report, Lafourche Parish police detailed a conversation that officers had with Dylan and Anita once they began to investigate Urker’s death. The couple confirmed that Urker had attended church with them at around 8:45 p.m. local time on Wednesday, September 30.
“They stated Mr. Urker made comments of being depressed and upset,” the report noted.
Dylan and Anita relayed that Urker had started a TikTok livestream after leaving church, though the footage only showed him “driving without him saying anything.”
When his boss, Daigle, informed the Blanchards that Urker had failed to show up for work the next day, the trio decided to check up on him.
Emergency dispatcher records obtained by Us shed new light on what police were told while they were en route to Urker’s residence on Thursday. According to the 911 report, Anita explained to first responders that Urker had been in “a dark place.”
“He has made threats to commit suicide [and] he was drinking,” per the call report. Officers learned that Urker had a gun at his residence.
Just before police arrived, the dispatcher told them that those at the scene believed Urker had “killed himself.”
The Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office later stated in their official report that they’d found drug paraphernalia and a gun near Urker’s body.
“[A] handgun on the night stand was holstered laying next to two shot glasses and a syringe,” police observed. “Nothing else inside of the bedroom appeared to be disturbed or moved.”
No cause of death has been determined as of publication.
Urker and Gypsy Rose’s relationship began in 2017 when he sent her a letter of support while she served a prison sentence after pleading guilty to the second-degree murder of her late mother, Clauddine “Dee Dee” Blanchard, in 2015.
While the couple split in 2018, they later reconnected following Gypsy Rose’s divorce from her ex-husband, Ryan Anderson, in 2024. Urker and Gypsy Rose, 35, welcomed their only child, a daughter named Aurora Raina, in December 2024.
The Life After Lockup star paid tribute to Urker on Friday, October 2, by sharing a carousel of photos and videos from throughout their relationship.
“You will always be my greatest love story. You will be remembered and loved forever,” she wrote via Instagram.
Gypsy Rose told People on Thursday that she was not sure whether Urker’s death was “intentional or not” because he “was not in a good state of mind lately.”
“I’m in disbelief. I can’t think,” she said. “I’ve screamed until my throat burns.”
Ken’s sister, Autumn Urker, broke down into tears during a TikTok livestream shortly after news broke of his death, telling viewers that her brother’s final words to her were, “I love you.”
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.
