#sylvia likens

[morbidology]

16-year-old Sylvia Likens was the daughter of two carnival workers, but when her parents' separated and her mother was jailed for shoplifting, somebody needed to care for her. Ultimately, Sylvia and her sister, Jenny, were sent to live with Gertrude Baniszwewski and her family, paying them $20 to take care of the two girls.

When the payments were late, Baniszwewski would turn on the girls, particularly Sylvia. She would hit the girls with paddles, and whip them. Being fragile and asthmatic herself, Baniszwewski recruited her children and neighbourhood children to subject Sylvia to horrendous abuse over the period of three months.

This abuse included putting cigarettes out on her skin, burning her with scalding water, beating her, rubbing salt in her wounds, forcing her to eat things which would cause her to vomit and on at least two occasions, she was sexually assaulted with a Coca-Cola bottle. On another occasion, a neighbourhood boy, Coy Hubbard, used her to practice his judo, which as a result, caused her to become incontinent. Baniszwewski responded to this by forcing her to eat her own faeces as well as her one-year-old sons.

Jenny, Sylvia’s sister attempted to get help and contacted their older sister, Diana, who came to the house yet did nothing to help. Shortly before her death, Baniszewski took a hot needle and carved “I’m a prostitute and proud of it!” on Sylvia’s stomach. A neighbourhood boy, Richard Hobbs, helped. He also helped 10-year-old Shirley Baniszewski burn the number “3” into her chest with an iron poker. The night before Sylvia died, she attempted to escape the house of horrors. She was caught by Baniszewski who threw her down the stairs into the cellar which had become her home.

The next day, on October 26, 1965, Sylvia’s body gave up after the countless beatings, burnings, sexual assaults, and lack of food and water. She died of a brain haemorrhage, shock, and malnutrition. She had suffered unimaginable torment. Her body was covered in wounds, bruises, and burns. In her final moments, she had almost completely severed her lips with her teeth from the beatings.

Gertrude received a life sentence while the younger assailants received petty sentences and were all released and went on to lead normal lives, something Sylvia could never do. Disgustingly enough, Gertrude was released for good behaviour after just a measly fourteen years in prison.

#Sylvia Likens #Torture #True Crime

[dailyunsolvedmysteries]

The "branding" Gertrude Baniszewski carved onto Sylvia Likens' abdomen with a heated needle

#Gertrude Baniszewski #Sylvia Likens #true crime #crime

[fakeboitherottengirl]

A rare color photo of Sylvia Likens (far left)

#Sylvia likens

[makiart44]

Sylvia Likens and Junko Furuta... Angels

Sylvia Likens y Junko Furuta... dos ángeles, eran dos chicas hermosas y dulces merecían lo mejor de este mundo... pero unos monstruos se cruzaron en el camino de ellas.

Pequeño homenaje atrasado... se supone que lo iba a subir en enero porque ese mes las dos victimas nacieron... Sylvia el 3 de enero de 1949 y Junko el 18 de enero de 1971. . . . Sylvia Likens and Junko Furuta... two angels, they were two beautiful and sweet girls who deserved the best in this world... but some monsters crossed their path.

Small late tribute... I was supposed to upload it in January because that month the two victims were born... Sylvia on January 3, 1949 and Junko on January 18, 1971.

song:  youtu.be/k0OYrlS6r70

#memorial #sylvia likens #junko furuta

[a-study-in-crime]

The Murder of Sylvia Likens

Introduction

Sylvia Likens was born in early January 1949 in Indiana, USA. She had four siblings and was described as a happy, nice, and confident girl. She often stayed with relatives since her parents had to travel due to work, and it was decided that she would stay with a woman named Gertrude Baniszewski in June 1965. Sylvia's parents were acquainted with Gertrude, and believed she would take good care of Sylvia; however, Gertrude would come to torture Sylvia to death. This is the story of the torture and murder of Sylvia Likens.

The torture and murder

Gertrude Baniszewski was born in 1928 and had seven children; Paula, Stephanie, John, Marie, Shirley, James, and Dennis. Gertrude and her family resided in Indianapolis when Sylvia and her younger sister Jenny came to live with them. It was decided that Gertrude would be paid every week for taking care of Sylvia and Jenny, but she sometimes received her payments a couple of days late. This resulted in Gertrude taking out her anger on Sylvia and Jenny by beating them with a paddle. However, Gertrude soon decided to focus her abuse on Sylvia; she seldom gave Sylvia food and often beat her. It did not take long until Gertrude's children started participating in the abuse of Sylvia. Paula, who was seventeen years old at the time, was the first of Gertrude's children to participate in beating Sylvia. Other children in the neighborhood also started to get involved in the abuse, and it progressed from beatings to even more severe types of torture. Sylvia was forcefed condiments and spices, and when she threw up, she was forced to eat her vomit. Paula once hit Sylvia so hard that she broke her own wrist, and Stephanie soon began participating in the abuse. Stephanie's boyfriend, Coy Hubbard, also began abusing Sylvia. Gertrude also humiliated Sylvia, calling her a prostitute, and accusing her of being promiscuous. Sylvia was also forced to masturbate with a bottle in front of Gertrude and a group of teens from the neighborhood. The abuse escalated further; Sylvia was burned with cigarettes, kicked in the genitals, banged against the wall, and choked.

The torture resulted in Sylvia becoming incontinent, and the family decided to tie her up naked in the basement. Sylvia was almost never fed and often wet herself. She was, on several occasions, placed in a scalding hot bath and neighborhood kids then rubbed salt in her wounds. Gertrude also rubbed urine and feces from her youngest son on Sylvia's face. The torture escalated further when Gertrude carved the words ''I'm a prostitute and proud of it'' on Sylvia's stomach. In late October 1965, Sylvia had become unable to talk or properly coordinate her body. However, the torture did not stop. She was sprayed with a garden hose, beaten, and stomped on. Sylvia died on October 26, 1965. She was just 16 years old.

Gertrude called the police when she realized that Sylvia was no longer breathing, but told them that she had tried to save her. She also stated that Sylvia had run away from home and sustained her injuries elsewhere. However, Jenny told the truth as soon as she was taken to the police station.

The autopsy was shocking, to say the least; at the time of her death, Sylvia was extremely malnourished and she had over 150 wounds across her body. She also had extreme injuries to her genitals and layers of skin on her face, neck, and decolletage had been peeled back.

Trial and aftermath

Gertrude, Paula, John, Coy, and a neighborhood teen named Richard Hobbs stood trial in 1966. Gertrude was found guilty of first-degree murder, Paula was found guilty of second-degree murder, and the boys were found guilty of manslaughter. Gertrude and Paula received life in prison, and the boys were sentenced to spend between 2-21 years behind bars. There was a retrial in 1970, but Paula decided to plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced to spend between 2-20 years in prison. Gertrude decided to go through with the retrial but was once again found guilty of first-degree murder.

Paula was released from prison in 1972, and Gertrude was granted parole in late 1985. Gertrude died of cancer in 1990. Paula worked as a school counselor for many years but was fired when her dark past came to light. Stephanie, who was never charged with any crime, has since started a family of her own and worked as a teacher. Richard, Coy, and John were released after spending two years behind bars. Richard died of cancer in 1972, Coy died in 2007 of a heart attack. John died at the age of 52 of diabetes in 2005.

Jenny later married and had children, but had to take medication to handle her extreme trauma and anxiety. She died of a heart attack in 2004.

#tcc #true crime #my post #true crime community #tc original #true crime original #sylvia likens #murder

[forsylvialikens]

i can do it, i am strong

#sylvia likens #jennylikens #angel

[ladyztardust]

im never getting over junko furuta's case

[sevicia]

The Sensitive Snacker: Watching Nana

The Brutish Eater: Watching The Girl Next Door

#I was gonna like toss a coin to choose between the one Paul Dano's in or the one based on Sylvia Likens #but I NEED to watch more Paul Dano movies. Literally have only seen him as Edward I have a diseaaaaaseeeeeeeeeee #diary

[buckttommy]

Every now and then I think of Junko Furuta and just have to take a minute to ponder the sheer horror of humanity

#if there's one case I regret ever looking up #it's that one #it genuinely and truly haunts me #so does what happened to Sylvia Likens #jack.txt

[erin-gilberts]

WHAT you mean to tell me William Atherton played the lead role in the most disturbing film I've ever seen in my life?! Walter Peck?! omfg I need to watch this again because I had no idea

#erin is talking #this is about the girl next door but heed my advice and GOOGLE THE WIKIPEDIA ARTICLE about this film before you watch it #it's an exceptionally disturbing movie inspired by the exceptionally disturbing torture murder of sylvia likens

[soggyburgers]

why did i have to hyperfixate on a true crime case right before bed

#sleepy but no sleep to come #sylvia likens case has me just staring at a wall #i am going to try to read lighthearted fanfics in hopes of sleeping tn #c makes dumb idiotic choices and then complains part 1

[fakeboitherottengirl]

Music that Sylvia would have listened to during the end of her life. I want to know more about her as a person, not just how she died

#sylvia likens

[jalwyn21]

I have to ask genuinely...what tf is wrong with Taylor Swift? I'm not talking about some armchair diagnosis but rather just genuinely how does someone like that even exist? This level of maliciousness towards anyone who's ever looked at her wrong and just holding on to grudges from a decade ago. Even if someone else is still mentioning her, if she truly is all about karmic justice, then why keep bringing it up? If karma is indeed the guy on the Chiefs and a relaxing thought, then why is she still so bitter? And how could anyone make an entire album aesthetic based off of mental illness? Her using Joe's mental health against him aside, how could anyone actually think that this is a good idea? I can't even bring myself to watch any videos or listen to the full album because the idea of her using mental illness like this and using historical figures like Sylvia Plath, Emily Dickinson and Virginia Woolf who actually dealt with serious mental health issues (that too at a time where people with mental illnesses were literally tortured) and likening herself to them. I'll bet you anything that the majority of Swifties creaming themselves over how alike Clara Bow and TS supposedly look had never even heard of Clara Bow before and still don't know anything about her beyond what they think are similarities between her and TS. How idiotic yet hateful can one person be? And how can so many people not only adore her so senselessly but follow her example and defend every single thing she does?

She gets away with so much just cause she is a woman. If a man would do half the things she does, he'd be labelled toxic and abusive and controlling and be canceled immediately.

#free joe alwyn #jalwyn #q&a #nonnie #joe alwyn #anti taylor swift #joealwyn #toxic swifties #shit swifties say #toxic taylor swift #free joe alwyn from psycho swifties

[forsylvialikens]

.•* ♡ she was so brave

#sylvia likens #angel #jennylikens

[acidbathcat]

ok go read about sylvia likens and then tell me entropy is kind. do you want to live in a world where this kind of shit just happens, for no reason? do you really believe there’s no greater consequence for these monsters?

#these people seem to be living in some kind of fantasy land #again i don’t even mean you have to believe in one god but to believe in NOTHING at all is insane to me

[virginstoner666]

moment of appreciation for my bedside reading rotation (and a delightful can of white claw):

unforgiving destiny: autobiography of david mcmillan an ex heroin smuggler in the 70s and 80s the auctoneer: dont know the plot yet, but its one of grady hendrix's paperbacks from hell so i avoided looking up plot or spoilers

the waterworks: another e.l. Doctorow mystery thriller

house of evil: the investigation launched after the death and trial of sylvia likens muder and torture.

the politics of heroin cia complacency in the global drg trade (exactly what it says on the tin)

petals on the wind: sequel to flowers in the attic

born to bleed: sequel to the summer i died

helter skelter: (you already know what this ones about lol)

soldiers and ghosts: a history of the military and battling of ancient greeks and romans

#i look like an alien kinda a slay #posts from the bunker #.txt #my face #selfie #this is where i post from #this is whete god wants me to be lol