The Butcher of Plainfield

Ed Gein: A farm boy whose twisted obsessions shocked America and inspired horror legends.

Early Life

Ed Gein was born on August 27, 1906, in La Crosse, Wisconsin. He grew up with an alcoholic father and a fanatically religious mother, Augusta, who instilled in him the belief that women, apart from herself, were sinful and corrupt. Gein was isolated, awkward, and developed a strong, unhealthy attachment to his mother.

Crimes

After his mother’s death in 1945, Gein lived alone on the family farm in Plainfield, Wisconsin. He began robbing graves, exhuming women who reminded him of his mother. He used their body parts and skin to make household items such as bowls, masks, lampshades, and even a suit crafted from human skin. In 1957, police discovered his collection while investigating the disappearance of Bernice Worden, whose body was found in his shed.

Victims

Gein was confirmed to have murdered tavern owner Mary Hogan in 1954 and hardware store owner Bernice Worden in 1957. Though suspected in other disappearances, no evidence tied him conclusively to more murders.

Arrest and Trial

Gein was arrested in November 1957. Initially declared legally insane, he was committed to a state mental hospital. In 1968, he was later deemed competent to stand trial and convicted of Worden’s murder, though he remained institutionalized due to insanity.

Death

Ed Gein died on July 26, 1984, at age 77, from respiratory and heart failure brought on by cancer.

Cultural Impact

Though he had only two confirmed murders, Gein’s grotesque acts of grave robbing and his disturbing trophies cemented his place in criminal history. His crimes inspired some of horror’s most iconic characters, including Norman Bates in "Psycho", Leatherface in "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre", and Buffalo Bill in "The Silence of the Lambs".