GRIMM: A True Crime Podcast

At the beginning of July, 1965, 16 year old Sylvia Maria Likens was a well-liked teenager with a bright future. By the end of October, she was a broken soul, malnourished, covered in bruises and open wounds, fighting just to survive. What happened to Sylvia in those 3 months? The better question is who happened…

On September 28, 1973, Peter Reilly came home to find his mother dead on their bedroom floor. State Police immediately set their sights on Peter as the main suspect and after 8 straight hours of interrogation, Peter signed a statement that he was responsible for his mother’s death. But rather than the relief the State Troopers said he would feel in confessing his crimes, Peter felt confusion and uncertainty. But it was out of Peter’s hands and he was at the mercy of the court.

On September 28, 1973, Peter Reilly walked in to the small home he shared with his mother to a grim scene. His mother was bleeding on their bedroom floor, gasping for air. Peter called for help, and when the State Police arrived, they set their sights on Peter as the main suspect and never looked back.

A/S/L? For those of us who grew up in the chat room era, those three letters meant maybe the start of a new friendship, a fleeting romance, or at the very least, an exciting adventure. For Thomas Montgomery, it was all 3. What began as a distraction to avoid falling off the wagon quickly turned into an obsession that would cost an innocent person their life.

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The Elan School in Poland, Maine was the last stop for troubled teens who had failed out of other programs. The program ran from 1970 to 2011 and was described by one student as a “soul eating hellhole.” The Elan School is only one of many that make up the Troubled Teen Industry and the practices employed by the school and those like it are GRIMM indeed.

In September 1978, 15 year old Mary Vincent was hitchhiking to Corona, California after running away from home. She graciously accepted a ride from 51 year old Lawrence Singleton. When Mary realized that Lawrence was headed in the wrong direction, she got nervous and felt that she was in danger. Nothing could have prepared Mary for what happened next.