Gary Michael Heidnik was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 murderer who kidnapped

Kidnapper

Kidnapper may refer to:* Kidnapper , a film by Kelvin Tong* "Kidnapper" , by American band Blondie on the Plastic Letters album* A person who performs a kidnapping-See also:* Kidnapped * Kidnapping...

, torture

Torture

Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...

d and rape

Rape

Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...

d six women and kept them prisoner in his Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

 basement.
Heidnik was born to Michael and Ellen Heidnik, and was raised in the Eastlake

Eastlake, Ohio

As of the census of 2000, there were 20,255 people, 8,055 households, and 5,557 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,166.5 people per square mile . There were 8,310 housing units at an average density of 1,299.1 per square mile...

 suburb of Cleveland, Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

. His brother Terry was younger by one year. When Heidnik was two years old, his father filed for divorce against his wife because of her alcoholism

Alcoholism

Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...

. The Heidnik children were raised by their mother for four years before being placed in the care of Michael Heidnik and his new wife.