Sylvia Likens
| Sylvia Likens | |
|---|---|
Likens as she appeared prior to her stay at the Baniszewski residence
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| Born |
Sylvia Marie Likens January 3, 1949 Lebanon, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | October 26, 1965 (aged 16) Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. |
| Cause of death | |
| Resting place |
Oak Hill Cemetery Lebanon, Indiana, U.S. Coordinates: 40°02′50″N 86°27′16″W / 40.04722°N 86.45444°W |
| Known for | Murder victim |
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The murder of Sylvia Likens took place in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States in October 1965. The 16-year-old Likens was tortured to death by Gertrude Baniszewski, Baniszewski's children, and other young people from their neighborhood. Likens' parents, who were carnival workers, had left her and her sister, Jenny, in the care of the Baniszewski family three months before her death. The Likens' parents were paying Baniszewski $20 a week to care for the sisters.
Baniszewski, her daughter Paula, her son John, and two neighborhood youths (Coy Hubbard and Richard Hobbs) were tried and convicted of torturing and murdering Likens. The case was described by the prosecutor in Baniszewski's trial as "the most terrible crime ever committed in the state of Indiana".
Gertrude Nadine Baniszewski (née Van Fossan; September 19, 1928 – June 16, 1990) was born in Indianapolis, Indiana to Mollie Myrtle (née Oakley) and Hugh Marcus Van Fossan Sr., both of whom were originally from Illinois and were of American and Dutch descent. Baniszewski was the third of six children. On October 5, 1939, Baniszewski witnessed her 50-year-old father's death from a sudden heart attack. Six years later, she dropped out of school to marry 18-year-old John Stephan Baniszewski (1926–2007), who was originally from Youngsville, Pennsylvania, with whom she had six children. Although John Baniszewski had a volatile temper, the two stayed together for ten more years before divorcing.
Baniszewski, then 34, moved in with 18-year old Dennis Lee Wright, who abused her. She had one child with Dennis, Dennis Lee Wright Jr. (later given the name Denny Lee Wright by his adoptive mother), but after his birth, Wright abandoned Gertrude.
Sylvia Marie Likens (January 3, 1949 – October 26, 1965) was the third child of carnival workers Lester Cecil Likens (1926–2013) and his wife Elizabeth Frances "Betty" (née Grimes, 1927–1998). She was born between two sets of fraternal twins: Diana (also spelled "Dianna") and Danny (two years older), and Jenny and Benny (one year younger, the former disabled by polio).
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