Life Before Sylvia Likens
Gertrude, who was of Dutch descent, was born as Gertrude Nadine van Fossan to Hugh and Mollie van Fossan, the third of six children. In 1940, Baniszewski witnessed her father's death from a sudden heart attack. Five years later, she dropped out of school at the age of 16 to marry 18-year-old deputy John Baniszewski, with whom she had six children.
Although John Baniszewski had a volatile temper, the two stayed together for 10 years before divorcing.
Gertrude, then 34, moved in with a 23-year-old Dennis Lee Wright, who abused her. She had one child with Dennis, but after his birth Wright abandoned Gertrude and disappeared.
Read more about this topic: Gertrude Baniszewski
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