The Likens family must have thought they were revisiting a nightmare. On Mother’s Day, May 10th, the older sister of Sylvia Likens went missing. It had been 50 years since the brutal torture slaying of 16-year-old Sylvia had lit up the headlines of newspapers all over the country. By today’s standards, the October 26, 1965 Likens death might have been viewed as just another heinous act committed against an innocent party. What made this Hoosier nightmare stand out most was that it was the first of its kind and it happened right in our own backyard. Now the memories of that sad episode came flooding back with the disappearance of Sylvia’s older sister, Dianna Bedwell, in the harsh high desert region of Southern California. Bedwell and her husband Cecil Knutson, both of whom are insulin dependent diabetics, were last seen leaving the Valley View Casino in Valley Center in California.
Terrible images of Sylvia began flooding the hearts and minds of the Likens family: Sylvia being beaten with a paddle, burned with matches and locked into a cellar and denied use of the bathroom. Her caretaker Gertrude Baniszewski carved “I’m a prostitute and I’m proud of it!” on the young girl’s stomach and let her kids and neighborhood children physically and sexually abuse the girl. After authorities found her dead body in the basement, Baniszewski was charged and found guilty of first-degree murder in May 1966. Several of the accomplices were convicted and sentenced to long prison terms for their involvement as well. Gertie had died in 1990, but those terrible memories die hard.
The search continued day after day but hope was fading fast. Then, two weeks later the couple’s 2014 white Hyundai Sonata was found stranded along a dirt road and miracle of miracles, Dianna Bedwell was found inside. She was in serious condition but she was alive. The vehicle was discovered Sunday afternoon by “an off-road enthusiast traveling in a very remote area of northeastern San Diego County,” according to a news release. A day that was supposed to be a celebration turned into a nightmare when the retired bus driver took a wrong turn on a dirt road after leaving the casino, eventually ending up along a dried riverbed designed for off-roaders.
Bedwell was rushed to a local hospital for treatment. Her husband, 79-year-old Cecil Knutson was not quite as lucky. Knutson, a one-time Marine, had died sometime during the two-week ordeal, his body laying outside the car. Authorities said a preliminary investigation indicated that the couple got lost trying to find a shortcut. Police were shocked that Bedwell survived the off-road nightmare especially in an area known for scorching heat during the day and frigid temperatures at night. “She obviously had a very strong will to survive,” Lt. Kenn Nelson of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said. “It would be difficult to last two weeks in good health, and if you are elderly and have a pre-existing health condition and you didn’t come prepared for a two-week stay in the wilderness, the odds are against you — especially in a place with extreme conditions like this.”
Nelson said Knutson must have turned off Highway 79 in an effort to save time. “They thought they knew a short cut,” says Nelson. “I don’t think they ever intended to take the dirt road. We were stunned the Hyundai could drive where they were ultimately found. Our four-wheel drive vehicles had a difficult time getting out there. It is impossible to think that type of vehicle could make it that far.” Nelson says the Hyundai eventually became stuck in the sand, dirt and rocks within the Schoepe Scout Reservation in the Los Coyotes Reservation, about 20 miles from the casino. The road transitions from a two-lane paved road to a narrow, rugged, dirt road. Bedwell said she told Knutson, who could be stubborn, that they were going the wrong way. Knutson finally acknowledged they were lost. But when they tried to turn around, the car got stuck on a rock.
“If they stayed on the road and didn’t turn off they would have ended up at a private camp that caters to camping organizations. At least there would have been buildings or shelter. It is tragic.” During their time missing, Nelson said the area was battered by spring storms, which was “fortuitous for them because it provided them with rainwater. They knew enough to set up containers for rain water to help them stay hydrated,” he says. “It is literally like finding a needle in a haystack. People don’t realize the size of the county and how much is wilderness. The vehicle was in an area where no one would suspect people could get there.”
The two, both diabetics and both retired school bus drivers, survived on rainwater, a butter cream pie and eight pounds of oranges. Nelson says he was stunned to learn Bedwell survived the harrowing ordeal at her age and with no real supplies. “To them, they are leaving the casino for a two-hour drive,” he says. “There is no thought in their mind they are going to have to survive for two weeks in the wilderness. They weren’t planning to go out and get stuck.” Investigators had to walk nearly a mile over the rugged road they had traveled to their car. Bedwell was airlifted to Palomar Medical Center for treatment. “I prayed for safety for my husband and myself,” Bedwell said. “He sent angels to rescue us.” At the chapel Friday, Acosta wondered if he could have done more.
Dianna’s condition was upgraded from serious to stable after she was treated for dehydration and was actually able to talk to her son and authorities the same day. Dianna told her son that she forgave her husband for making a wrong turn and was prepared to die with him. ‘I told him, “Honey, we all make mistakes. We all make wrong choices. That’s all that was.”
Knutson used a cane and walker to get around outside the car, but eventually neither of them could walk. Knutson, a Marine land mine demolition expert in the Korean War, was sweet and kind in his final days and seemed to know when he was about to die. “He just fell asleep,” Bedwell said. “I thank God for that. There was no pain, no anger.” His body was found outside the driver’s side door, draped over the running board. An autopsy found he died of a heart attack caused by narrowing of blood vessels. After Knutson died peacefully “he sent angels to rescue me,” Bedwell said.
Cecil ‘Paul’ Knutson was honored with a 21-gun salute and taps at Riverside National Cemetery, where an urn with his remains was buried. Dianna Bedwell said Friday after the memorial service, “While we were out there – there was no anger, no animosity. I was so glad to spend the last moments, days of his life with me. I didn’t want to believe it but he knew — about an hour before he passed. He went so peaceful.”
At last report, Dianna Likens Bedwell had hired high-profile attorney Gloria Allred for “a number of legal issues and questions.“ When asked why she was hired, Allred said she was contacted by a family member. “There’s quite a bit that needs to be investigated,” Allred said without offering specifics. “One day the facts will be known. The truth is something she’ll share when it’s time for her, when she’s ready to speak,” Allred said referring to her client. “I’m hoping one day everyone will know what a hero she is. I’m going to allow her to tell her story when she’s ready and at the appropriate time. And she will. She wants to have everyone know what happened,” said Allred. “It’s been an ordeal for her and her husband, may he rest in peace,” Allred said she was drawn to the story as soon as Bedwell called her. “She knows I represent victims and she is a victim, but I found as a result of my visit with her today she’s also a hero.” Allred added that Bedwell wants the public to know the couple was happily married for 27 years. “Her husband was also a hero, not only because he was a Marine but because he was also a hero in this situation. I have great respect and admiration for both of them and I’m honored she reached out to me,” Allred said. “Often we don’t hear about the heroism of older women,” Allred said. “Oder women are very invisible in our culture and in the media and I know once the public hears her story they’re going to recognize the hero she is and they will admire her the way I do.” In next week’s conclusion, Gloria Allred brings Dianna back home to Indiana.
Next week: Part III. The Sylvia Likens Family Saga.
Al Hunter is the author of the “Haunted Indianapolis” and co-author of the “Haunted Irvington” and “Indiana National Road” book series. His newest book is “Bumps in the Night. Stories from the Weekly View.” Contact Al directly at Huntvault@aol.com or become a friend on Facebook.
