Ed Gein

Edward Theodore Gein (August 27, 1906 – July 26, 1984), called the Butcher of Plainfield and the Plainfield Ghoul, was an American murderer and body snatcher. His crimes, which took place near his home in Plainfield, Wisconsin, became widely known in 1957 when police found he had taken corpses from local cemeteries and made souvenirs from their bones and skin. He also admitted to killing two women: Mary Hogan, a tavern owner, in 1954, and Bernice Worden, a hardware store owner, in 1957.

Gein was first ruled unfit for trial and sent to a mental hospital. In 1968, he was found competent to stand trial. At trial, he was found not guilty by reason of insanity and was committed to a psychiatric facility.

Gein was born in La Crosse, Wisconsin, on August 27, 1906, the younger of two sons of George Philip Gein and Augusta Wilhelmine Gein, both of German descent. His only sibling was an older brother, Henry. Augusta, a strict Lutheran, often told her sons the world was immoral, drinking was evil, and all women were naturally promiscuous and tools of the Devil. She read them Bible passages each afternoon, usually from the Old Testament and the Book of Revelation about death, murder, and divine punishment. Gein worshipped his mother and eventually became obsessed with her.

In La Crosse, George worked as a carpenter, tanner, and firefighter. He also ran a local grocery store but soon sold it and moved the family to a 155-acre farm in Plainfield, Wisconsin, which became their permanent home. George was reportedly a hardworking, non-abusive man, and there is no reliable evidence that he was a violent alcoholic. Augusta used the farm’s isolation to keep outsiders away from her sons.

Gein left the farm only for school. Outside class, he spent most of his time doing chores. He was shy. Classmates and teachers remembered odd habits, like laughing for no clear reason, as if at private jokes. According to family acquaintances, Augusta punished him whenever he tried to make friends. Despite poor social skills, Gein did well in school, especially in reading.

On April 1, 1940, George died of heart failure at age 66. Ed and Henry took odd jobs around town to pay expenses. The community saw both brothers as reliable and honest. While they worked as handymen, Ed often babysat neighbors’ children, seeming to relate better to kids than adults.