In the 1960s, Sylvia Likens lived in southern Boone County, Indiana with her family which consisted of her father, Lester Likens, mother Betty Likens, fraternal twins, Danny and Diana, and another set of fraternal twins, Bennie and Jenny. Sylvia was the middle child between the two sets of twins. The Likens family were very poor and Sylvia's father worked many odd jobs, even traveling with the carnival to sell food from a concession stand, but it is said that the children were happy and taken care of. In June of 1965, Sylvia's mother, Betty was arrested for shoplifting, leaving Lester to come up with a way to support his children while she was away. Lester found his two daughters, Sylvia and Jenny at a home near theirs known as the Baniszewski home. Lester decided he would "board" his daughters at Gertrude Baniszewski's home, paying her $20 a week to take care of them while he went with the carnival to bring in some money. Gertrude had 7+ children of her own, and the Baniszewskis were also very poor with the home being filthy, in disarray, and lacking adequate food and sleeping arrangements but Lester had not known this when he left his daughters. Bennie and Danny were sent to live with their grandparents, and Dianna had been 19, married, and living on her own.

What would happen during the months of June 1965 to October 1965 consist of unspeakable horrors which Sylvia and Jenny endured. Sylvia being punished far worse, enduring unimaginable torture by not only the Baniszewskis but other neighborhood children. Some say it is due to Gertrude and her oldest daughter, Paula's jealousy of Sylvia coupled with Gertrude not receiving on time payment from the Likens but nothing that Sylvia ever could have done would make her deserving of this torture, and ultimately, horrific death.

Since then, the Likens family has been plagued by a series of tragedies, and this case is one that will never be forgotten in Indiana.

Sources

Indy Star (2013)

The Weekly View (2015)

NBC San Diego (2015)

True Crime Edition (2021)

Medium (2019)

All Thats Interesting (2023)

Sylvia's Child Advocacy Center

Criminal (2020)

Audio of Gertrude Baniszewski at parole board- Youtube- Thomas Henning