Sylvia likens autopsy

It has been the most enduring nightmare in Indianapolis True Crime history — the Oct.

Reader discretion is advised. In October , year-old Sylvia Likens died after being held captive for nearly three months. Her death sparked action across police departments, prosecution, and the halls of the Indiana General Assembly, plus movies and books. As a teenager, Sylvia babysat, hung out with friends, did chores and small jobs, loved the Beatles, and lived an otherwise typical life. They continued to live as teenagers do, singing, skating, earning modest incomes during the summer break, and doing housework. Angry, Baniszewski began beating the children in the home across their buttocks.

Sylvia likens autopsy

Sylvia Marie Likens January 3, — October 26, was an American teenager who was tortured and murdered by her caregiver, Gertrude Baniszewski, many of Baniszewski's children, and several of their neighborhood friends. The abuse lasted for three months, occurring incrementally, before Likens died from her extensive injuries and malnourishment on October 26, , in Indianapolis , Indiana. Likens was increasingly tormented , neglected , belittled, sexually humiliated , beaten, starved , lacerated, burned, and dehydrated by her tormentors. Her autopsy showed wounds across her body, including several burns, scald marks and eroded skin. Through intimidation, her younger sister, Jenny, was occasionally forced to participate in her mistreatment. The official cause of her death was determined to be a homicide caused by a combination of subdural hematoma and shock , complicated by severe malnutrition. Gertrude Baniszewski; her oldest daughter, Paula; her son, John; and two neighborhood youths, Coy Hubbard and Richard Hobbs, were all tried and convicted in May of neglecting, torturing, and murdering Likens. At the defendants' trial, Deputy Prosecutor Leroy New described the case as "the most diabolical case to ever come before a court or jury" and Gertrude's defense attorney, William C. Erbecker, described Likens as having been subjected to acts of "degradation that you wouldn't commit on a dog" before her death. After eight hours of deliberation, the jury found Gertrude Baniszewski guilty of first-degree murder. She was sentenced to life imprisonment but was released on parole in Paula was found guilty of second-degree murder and was released in ; Hobbs, Hubbard, and John were found guilty of manslaughter and served less than two years in the Indiana Reformatory before being granted parole on February 27, The torture and murder of Sylvia Likens is widely regarded by Indiana citizens as the worst crime ever committed in their state and has been described by a senior investigator in the Indianapolis Police Department as the "most sadistic" case he had ever investigated in the 35 years he served with the Indianapolis Police. Baniszewski was the third of six children, and her family was working class. On October 5, , Baniszewski saw her year-old father die from a sudden heart attack.

Sylvia's body was malnourished and covered with sores, burns and bruises, many of them old. New York St.

Sylvia Likens. John Jr Baniszewski and Gertrude Baniszewski. Via Wikimedia Commons. The autopsy of the sixteen-year-old girl from Indiana read like that of a horror movie. Her skin had receded, and she had open wounds nearly down to the bone. Sylvia and her sister Jenny were sent to live with Gertrude Baniszewski in July Their parents, Lester and Betty, were in desperate need of money and had joined the travelling carnival, which was no place for children.

Reader discretion is advised. In October , year-old Sylvia Likens died after being held captive for nearly three months. Her death sparked action across police departments, prosecution, and the halls of the Indiana General Assembly, plus movies and books. As a teenager, Sylvia babysat, hung out with friends, did chores and small jobs, loved the Beatles, and lived an otherwise typical life. They continued to live as teenagers do, singing, skating, earning modest incomes during the summer break, and doing housework. Angry, Baniszewski began beating the children in the home across their buttocks. By August, the beatings exceeded a dozen a week, often for benign issues like eating too much food. Soon, Baniszewski was focusing on Sylvia. Later testimony would reveal Sylvia was beaten and abused regularly after school and on weekends. She was deprived of food, and later still resorted to eating food out of garbage cans.

Sylvia likens autopsy

Sylvia Likens. John Jr Baniszewski and Gertrude Baniszewski. Via Wikimedia Commons. The autopsy of the sixteen-year-old girl from Indiana read like that of a horror movie. Her skin had receded, and she had open wounds nearly down to the bone. Sylvia and her sister Jenny were sent to live with Gertrude Baniszewski in July

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It was at that point that her malnourished body collapsed, and she died. Philip, New Zealand says:. She was then returned to the basement. Baniszewski was the third of six children, and her family was working class. Karl says:. The Canberra Times. The autopsy of Likens's body revealed she had suffered in excess of separate wounds across her entire body, in addition to being extremely emaciated at the time of her death. The Torture and Murder of Sylvia Likens. Sylvia always smiled with her mouth closed, because she had a missing front tooth. Although Hobbs testified this act of branding had brought blood to the surface of Likens's flesh and that Likens had begged him to stop, he remained adamant the section of branding he had inflicted had been light. She was fired in when the school discovered her true identity.

Sylvia Marie Likens January 3, — October 26, was an American teenager who was tortured and murdered by her caregiver, Gertrude Baniszewski, many of Baniszewski's children, and several of their neighborhood friends.

Gertrude began beating the girls with a paddle when the payments failed to arrive on their pre-agreed day. Regarding Gertrude Baniszewski's death and the issues raised pertaining to her sanity at both of her trials, John Dean, a former reporter for The Indianapolis Star who had provided extensive coverage of the case, stated in "I never thought she was insane. They let her go too! December 4, The official cause of her death was determined to be a homicide caused by a combination of subdural hematoma and shock , complicated by severe malnutrition. Likens regularly sang along to pop records with Stephanie, [22] and she willingly participated in housework at the Baniszewski residence. By the morning of October 26, Likens was unable to either speak intelligibly or correctly coordinate the movement of her limbs. Sylvia Likens' parents experienced financial stress while they raised their five children. Open toolbar Accessibility Tools. After all, she already had seven of her own children; what difference would two more make? Kebel did note Likens had been recently bathed—possibly after death—and that this act could have hastened the loss of body temperature and thus sped the onset of rigor mortis. She was then returned to the basement. The teenager endured months of sickening abuse before she was killed by the people who were supposed to look after her. Gertrude Baniszewski announced to her children that Sylvia was a "prostitute, and she's proud of it; so we'll just put it on her stomach.