A Teen endured Months of ‘Heinous’ Torture Before Death. Many participated—and her caretaker orchestrated it

Police in Indianapolis, Indiana, found 16-year-old Sylvia Likens dead on a mattress in her caretaker’s house in October 1965.

According to the Indianapolis Star, the malnourished teen’s body was covered in burns, blisters, and old and new bruises. The words “I am a prostitute” were brutally etched into her belly with a hot metal brand, leaving an imprint on one section of her skin.

The Indianapolis Star reports that Gertrude Baniszewski, Sylvia’s caretaker, reported to authorities that Sylvia had been attacked by a group of boys. She even gave them a supposedly Sylvia-written message that seemed to corroborate her account of what happened.

It quickly became evident, nevertheless, that Baniszewski had detained and tortured Sylvia in his house for several months before she passed away. The abuse, which included her children and other neighborhood members, was orchestrated by Baniszewski.

That summer, while their parents were away on a lengthy business trip, Baniszewski volunteered to take care of Sylvia and her sister Jenny for $20 a week, according to the Indianapolis Star. Baniszewski, who was previously divorced, was caring for her six children, including her 18-month-old son and her 17-year-old daughter Paula.

The girls continued to live like teens, singing, skating, working for meager pay during the summer, and cleaning the house, according to the website of Sylvia’s Child Advocacy Center in Indiana. Nonetheless, Baniszewski’s payments steadily declined.

According to the website, Baniszewski became enraged and started striking the sisters more than a dozen times a week, usually for trivial reasons like overindulging in food.

According to the Indianapolis Star, local kids also participated in the abuse, making Sylvia take painfully hot baths as a kind of atonement for her transgressions.

The advocacy center claims that by the end of the summer, Sylvia was being starved, beaten, burned, subjected to verbal and physical abuse, sexually and physically assaulted with objects, raped, and coerced into performing degrading or horrible acts. They eventually stopped Sylvia from going to school and had her stay at home.

According to the Indianapolis Star, Sylvia passed away on October 26, 1965, from severe injuries and malnourishment. Baniszewski was found guilty of first-degree murder even though she entered a not guilty plea at her trial the following year.

Her daughter Paula was found guilty of second-degree murder. According to the source, both were given prison terms of life.

Indianapolis Monthly reports that Baniszewski’s son and two neighborhood kids were put on trial but received short prison sentences.

Parole was given to Baniszewski in December 1985. According to the Indianapolis Star, she lived in Iowa under a different name until her death from cancer in 1990.

Indiana law, which mandates that anyone with knowledge of child abuse notify the Department of Child Services, was impacted by Sylvia’s case.

Legislators were appalled to discover that Sylvia’s neighbors had heard her yelling but had not contacted the police, which is why this rule was passed in response to her case, according to Kassie Frazier, Executive Director of Sylvia’s Child Advocacy Center.

In a statement provided to PEOPLE on November 27, Frazier stated that although it was customary in 1965 to stay out of other people’s affairs, “as a state, we said we would stand with our children.”

On its website, the organization—one of the state’s eleven nationally recognized child advocacy centers—states that it is committed to [Sylvia’s] legacy and the cause of shielding kids from abuse everywhere in our community.

Child advocate centers offer a variety of services, including case management, victim advocacy, courtroom preparation, therapy, and medical examinations, according to Frazier.

Source

Note: Every piece of content is rigorously reviewed by our team of experienced writers and editors to ensure its accuracy. Our writers use credible sources and adhere to strict fact-checking protocols to verify all claims and data before publication. If an error is identified, we promptly correct it and strive for transparency in all updates, feel free to reach out to us via email. We appreciate your trust and support!