Gary M. Heidnik (1943–1999) was an American serial killer and kidnapper who abducted, tortured, and imprisoned women in the basement of his Philadelphia home during the 1980s. Heidnik subjected his victims to extreme abuse, with several dying during captivity before surviving victims helped expose the crimes in 1987. His horrifying case became one of the most infamous criminal investigations in Philadelphia history and is believed to have partially inspired elements of The Silence of the Lambs.