4.6 • 4.2K Ratings
🗓️ 24 June 2025
⏱️ 55 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Retired FBI agent and criminal profiler Candice DeLong explores the chilling case of Gertrude Baniszewski. In the fall of 1965, behind the walls of her modest Indiana home, Gertrude masterminded the systematic torture and murder of teenage Sylvia Likens – encouraging her own children and neighborhood kids to join in the abuse. Candice investigates how Gertrude’s simmering resentment and deep-seated rage transformed her into the mastermind behind one of the most disturbing group crimes ever committed, and how the unthinkable violence against Sylvia went unchecked.
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0:00.0 | Hi there. Want to know what drives someone to kill? Join Wondery Plus for early access, exclusive episodes that unpack the psychology of the crime, and it's all ad-free. Start your free trial of Wondery Plus now. |
0:17.0 | A listener note, this episode contains adult content and is not suitable for everyone. Please be advised. |
0:29.3 | The Brothers Grimm gathered all kinds of folk tales, some sweet, some strange. |
0:41.1 | But many, like Mother Trudy or Fratrude in German, came with a warning. |
0:48.7 | Mother Trudy tells the tale of an old woman living alone on the edge of town who welcomes a curious young girl into her |
0:55.6 | home. But once inside, the woman reveals her true self, a witch, with fire glowing from her head, |
1:04.5 | her face twisted and inhuman. But by the time the girl sees the real Mother Trudy, it is too late. Her fate is sealed. |
1:16.5 | At its core, Mother Trudy is not a story about witches or curses. It is about misplaced trust |
1:24.0 | and how evil can hide behind the most ordinary face. |
1:30.4 | In 1965, Indianapolis, a story with haunting similarities played out in real life. |
1:37.9 | Two girls were placed in the care of Gertrude Banishefsky, a frail, soft-spoken mother of seven who seemed more tired than threatening. |
1:48.3 | But once the front door closed behind them, the house became a prison. |
1:55.5 | Inside, Gertrude wielded absolute power, not only over the girls entrusted to her, but over her own children. |
2:04.6 | Under her command, they helped her inflict horrific abuse. |
2:09.3 | And together, they turned one girl's life into a waking nightmare. |
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