The Torture and Murder of Sylvia Likens

A Crime So Brutal Even Seasoned Investigators Were Shaken

Some crimes haunt entire states. Some leave scars that change laws forever.And some — like the murder of 16-year-old Sylvia Likens — are so monstrous, so unimaginable, that they defy belief.

Her autopsy read like a horror script:

• Skin receded from her body

• Open wounds down to the bone

• Over 150 injuries

• A message carved into her stomach:“I’m a prostitute and proud of it.”

• Burns, cuts, cigarette marks

• Extreme malnutrition and dehydration

This is the sickening, heartbreaking, and unbelievably twisted story of the girl tortured to death by the woman who promised to protect her — and the neighborhood children who joined in.

The Likens Sisters Are Sent to Live With Gertrude Baniszewski

In July 1965, Sylvia (16) and her sister Jenny (15) were sent by their parents, Lester and Betty Likens, to stay with Gertrude Baniszewski.

Their parents had joined a traveling carnival and couldn’t take the girls.

Gertrude — a frail, 36-year-old woman with seven children of her own — agreed to take care of the Likens sisters for $20 per week.

At first, things seemed normal:

• The girls attended church

• Helped with chores

• Played with Gertrude’s children

• Adapted to the busy home

But everything changed when the $20 weekly payment arrived late.

The First Beating Opens the Door to Hell

When the payment didn’t arrive on time, Gertrude snapped.

She beat both girls with a wooden paddle.

And then the abuse snowballed:

• Paula (17), Gertrude’s daughter, broke her wrist punching Sylvia

• When her cast hardened, she used it as a weapon

• The girls were accused of lying, eating too much, or “misbehaving”

Soon the punishments focused almost exclusively on Sylvia.

Gertrude — jealous of Sylvia’s youth, beauty, and normal teenage life — began tormenting her relentlessly.

The Neighborhood Joins In

What makes Sylvia’s case uniquely horrifying is this:

Gertrude didn’t torture Sylvia alone.She recruited:

• Her own children

• Their friends

• Neighborhood kids

They:

• Burned Sylvia

• Beat her

• Humiliated her

• Practiced martial arts on her

• Cut her skin

• Threw her down stairs

Some children paid five cents for the privilege of seeing Sylvia tied up in the basement — starved, beaten, and broken.

This wasn’t just one evil adult. It was a community of cruelty.

Sylvia’s Attempts to Get Help Go Tragically Unanswered

Sylvia and Jenny met their older sister Diana in a park and told her about the abuse.

Diana didn’t believe them.

A neighbor called the school to report suspected abuse.

Gertrude lied, saying Sylvia was “troubled” and had run away.

No one followed up.

Sylvia was forced to lie to visiting adults, threatened with worse torture if she spoke a word.

And every day, her injuries multiplied.

October: Locked in the Basement

On October 6th, Sylvia was:

• Beaten

• Burned

• Starved

• Dehydrated

• Incontinent

Gertrude tied her in the basement, where she remained until her final breath.

Children came down to:

• Kick her

• Burn her

• Spit on her

• Mock her

She was forced to urinate in the corners, given almost no food, and sometimes scalded in boiling water as punishment.

Gertrude rubbed salt into her wounds.

Sylvia was dying — slowly, painfully, visibly.

The Carving: The Most Disturbing Act of All

On October 23rd, the torture escalated into one of the most infamous crimes in U.S. history.

Gertrude heated a needle over a flame and began carving:

“I’m a prostitute and proud of it.”

She couldn’t finish.So she ordered 14-year-old Richard Hobbs to complete the carving.

He did so without hesitation.

Then two 10-year-old children attempted to burn an “S” onto her chest with a heated bolt.

It burned so deep it resembled a number “3.”

Sylvia was then paraded around the neighborhood as Gertrude bragged that Sylvia got the carving at a “sex party.”

Sylvia’s Final Hours

By October 25th, Sylvia was delirious.

She attempted to escape, but collapsed before reaching the stairs.

Gertrude stomped on her head.

On October 26th:

• Sylvia could no longer speak

• She could no longer stand

• She couldn’t control her bowels

• Her body was shutting down

In a rare moment of humanity, Richard Hobbs bathed her in warm water and dressed her in clean clothes.

Moments later, Sylvia Likens died on a thin mattress in an upstairs bedroom.

She was 16 years old.

Jenny Likens Breaks the Case Wide Open

When police arrived, Gertrude tried to blame neighborhood boys and insisted Sylvia “returned home injured.”

Jenny played along — at first.

But as officers guided her outside, she whispered:

“Get me out of here and I’ll tell you everything.”

Her testimony exposed:

• Gertrude

• Paula

• Stephanie

• John Jr.

• Richard Hobbs

• Coy Hubbard

• And several neighborhood children

All complicit in Sylvia’s torture and death.

The Autopsy Reveals the Full Horror

Doctors documented over 150 injuries, including:

• Deep burns

• Open sores

• Cuts down to the bone

• Severe bruising

• A hole in her wrist

• Burns to her chest

• Split lips nearly bitten through

• The carved message on her abdomen

• Advanced malnutrition

• Severe dehydration

• A subdural hematoma

It was one of the most horrific autopsies in Indiana’s history.

Trials, Sentences, and Outrage

• Gertrude Baniszewski — Life in prison

• Paula — Life sentence, later pled to manslaughter

• Richard Hobbs — 2–21 years

• Coy Hubbard — 2–21 years

• John Jr. — 2–21 years

Many served shockingly light sentences.

Gertrude was released in 1985 despite 40,000 protest signatures, changed her name, and moved to Iowa.

She died in 1990.

Paula became — unbelievably — a teacher’s aide before being fired when her identity was exposed.

Stephanie changed her name and moved to Florida.

Jenny married, had children, and struggled with lifelong anxiety.

The Legacy: Sylvia Likens Changes Indiana Law

Sylvia’s murder led to the creation of:

Indiana’s Mandated Reporter Law

Requiring all citizens, regardless of job or age, to report suspected child abuse.

Her story continues to be taught in:

• Law enforcement training

• Psychology programs

• Child protection workshops

Her name stands as a symbol of why vigilance matters.