Historical True Crime

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 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)] 978-0-312-94699-9 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-312-94699-9]. https://allthatsinteresting.com/gertrude-baniszewski [https://allthatsinteresting.com/gertrude-baniszewski] https://allthatsinteresting.com/sylvia-likens-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://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.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.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://www.indianapolismonthly.com/longform/likens-looking-back-indianas-infamous-crime-50-years-later/] https://time.com/archive/6629479/trials-avenging-sylvia/ [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://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 [https://law.justia.com/cases/indiana/supreme-court/1970/256-ind-1-1.html]

In 1976, a young German woman died after nearly a year of exorcisms. What followed was one of the most controversialtrials in modern religious history. This episode explores the haunting case of Anneliese Michel—a tragic intersection of faith, mental illness, and the cost of belief. Source Materials https://allthatsinteresting.com/anneliese-michel-exorcism [https://allthatsinteresting.com/anneliese-michel-exorcism] https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/seized-by-the-spirit-temporal-lobe-epilepsy-and-the-exorcism-of-anneliese-michel/ [https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/seized-by-the-spirit-temporal-lobe-epilepsy-and-the-exorcism-of-anneliese-michel/] https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1978/04/21/cries-of-a-woman-possessed/94bf2fd3-8e64-482d-869d-1f929851ca8f/ [https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1978/04/21/cries-of-a-woman-possessed/94bf2fd3-8e64-482d-869d-1f929851ca8f/] https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/1504158/God-told-us-to-exorcise-my-daughters-demons.-I-dont-regret-her-death.html?ICID=continue_without_subscribing_reg_first [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/1504158/God-told-us-to-exorcise-my-daughters-demons.-I-dont-regret-her-death.html?ICID=continue_without_subscribing_reg_first] https://www.thesun.co.uk/living/4303767/anneliese-michel-possessed-photo-emily-rose/ [https://www.thesun.co.uk/living/4303767/anneliese-michel-possessed-photo-emily-rose/] https://time.com/archive/6852095/religion-a-phenomenon-of-fear/ [https://time.com/archive/6852095/religion-a-phenomenon-of-fear/]

In 1867, the quiet village of Alton, England was shattered by the horrific murder of eight-year-old Fanny Adams—an act so brutal it shocked Victorian society and left a disturbing legacy. In this episode, we explore the events of that summerday, the investigation and trial that followed, and how Fanny’s name became forever entangled in history, slang, and sorrow. Source Materials: Cansfield, Peter (2004). The True Story of Fanny Adams (Second ed.). Soldridge [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soldridge]: Peter Cansfield Associates. . ISBN [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)] 978-0953634613 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0953634613]. https://www.historicmysteries.com/history/fanny-adams/37234/ [https://www.historicmysteries.com/history/fanny-adams/37234/] https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/23143260.local-girl-fanny-adams-savagely-tragically-murdered/ [https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/23143260.local-girl-fanny-adams-savagely-tragically-murdered/] https://www.hampshireculture.org.uk/sites/default/files/inline-files/FannyAdams.pdf [https://www.hampshireculture.org.uk/sites/default/files/inline-files/FannyAdams.pdf] https://murderpedia.org/male.B/b/baker-frederick.htm [https://murderpedia.org/male.B/b/baker-frederick.htm] https://www.hgs-familyhistory.com/2014/10/sweet-fanny-adams/ [https://www.hgs-familyhistory.com/2014/10/sweet-fanny-adams/]

In this episode, we dive into the mysterious case of Bella, whose body was discovered in a wych elm tree in Hagley Wood in 1941. With theories ranging from espionage to witchcraft, we explore the chilling details, the ongoingintrigue surrounding her identity, and the modern-day efforts to solve the case. Join us as we unravel the mystery of "Who put Bella in the Wych Elm?" and take a closer look at the eerie theories that have persisted for over 70 years. Source Materials: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-07/mystery-over-who-put-bella-down-the-wych-elm-/102171844 [https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-07/mystery-over-who-put-bella-down-the-wych-elm-/102171844] https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/541525/digital-reconstruction-reveals-face-murder-victim-bella-wych-elm [https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/541525/digital-reconstruction-reveals-face-murder-victim-bella-wych-elm] https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/is-this-the-bella-in-the-wych-elm-unravelling-the-mystery-of-the-skull-found-in-a-tree-trunk-8546497.html [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/is-this-the-bella-in-the-wych-elm-unravelling-the-mystery-of-the-skull-found-in-a-tree-trunk-8546497.html] https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/31-days-of-halloween-who-put-bella-down-the-wych-elm [https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/31-days-of-halloween-who-put-bella-down-the-wych-elm] https://www.the-sun.com/news/11083266/bella-wych-elm-identity-mystery-murder-cold-case/ [https://www.the-sun.com/news/11083266/bella-wych-elm-identity-mystery-murder-cold-case/] https://www.curiousarchive.com/who-put-bella-in-the-wych-elm-espionage-witchcraft/ [https://www.curiousarchive.com/who-put-bella-in-the-wych-elm-espionage-witchcraft/] https://www.ranker.com/list/who-put-bella-in-the-wych-elm/patrick-thornton [https://www.ranker.com/list/who-put-bella-in-the-wych-elm/patrick-thornton]

In 1931, a Liverpool insurance agent returned home to find his wife savagely murdered—and himself at the center of one of Britain’s most baffling murder mysteries. With an airtight alibi, a fake appointment, and no clear motive, the case of Herbert and Julia Wallace remains unsolved to this day. SourceMaterials: https://www.williamherbertwallace.com/general/the-murder-of-julia-wallace/ [https://www.williamherbertwallace.com/general/the-murder-of-julia-wallace/] https://www.livpost.co.uk/chess-prank-calls-and-murder-who/ [https://www.livpost.co.uk/chess-prank-calls-and-murder-who/] https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/551903/impossible-1930s-murder-still-fascinates-crime-writers [https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/551903/impossible-1930s-murder-still-fascinates-crime-writers] https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/liverpools-oldest-unsolved-murder-baffled-22804932 [https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/liverpools-oldest-unsolved-murder-baffled-22804932] https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/nostalgia/infamous-man-pru-murder-thats-29642600 [https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/nostalgia/infamous-man-pru-murder-thats-29642600] https://www.thetimes.com/best-law-firms/profile-legal/article/pd-james-unmasks-the-perfect-killer-r29xwkgdw0b?region=global [https://www.thetimes.com/best-law-firms/profile-legal/article/pd-james-unmasks-the-perfect-killer-r29xwkgdw0b?region=global] https://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/wallace.html [https://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/wallace.html]