A teenager tortured to death. A mother who claimed insanity. Children who became accomplices. This episode tells the whole chilling story of Sylvia Likens—and what happened after the headlines faded.

Source Materials

Dean, John (2008). House of Evil: The IndianaTorture Slaying. United States of America: St. Martin's Paperbacks. ISBN 978-0-312-94699-9.

https://allthatsinteresting.com/gertrude-baniszewski

https://allthatsinteresting.com/sylvia-likens-gertrude-baniszewski

https://harrisons.medium.com/the-story-of-the-torture-mother-also-known-as-gertrude-baniszewski-cd9e08cbc921

https://www.nydailynews.com/2013/04/06/monster-mom-gertrude-baniszewski-and-teen-cohorts-torture-sylvia-likens-to-death-in-indiana-boarding-house-of-horror/

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/iowa-teachers-aide-suspended-after-role-65-torture-death-revealed-flna1c6643498

https://www.indianapolismonthly.com/longform/likens-looking-back-indianas-infamous-crime-50-years-later/

https://time.com/archive/6629479/trials-avenging-sylvia/

https://www.indystar.com/story/news/crime/2015/10/23/indianapolis-most-sadistic-act-sylvia-likens-gertrude-baniszewski-torture-slaying-indianapolis-news-indianapolis-crime-crime-horror-torture/74209878/

https://law.justia.com/cases/indiana/supreme-court/1970/256-ind-1-1.html