Criminology

E424 - Gary Heidnik

Published: September 6, 2026

Duration: 1:00:12

In 1987, Josefina Rivera escaped from Gary Heidnik and led Philadelphia police to his home, where they discovered three women chained and imprisoned in his basement and human remains in the freezer. Heidnik had spent years preying on vulnerable and intellectually disabled women, including a previous victim he kidnapped from a state hospital in 1978. Between November 1986 and March 1987, he abducted seven women and subjected them to horrific abuse, captivity, starvation, and torture. Two victims, Sandra Lindsay and Deborah Dudley, were murdered. 

Join Mike and Morf as they discuss Gary Heidnik. Rivera ultimately escaped and called the police, bringing H...