Edward Gein went from being known for being a sweet and innocent boy who would not hurt a fly to a murderer and a necrophiliac. Edward lived on a 195-acre farm in Plainfield, Wisconsin, with his parents Augusta and George Gain, and his older brother Henry. Gein’s actions caused him to be known as “The Butcher of Plainfield.”1 Edward’s father was an alcoholic and very abusive. Thus Edward grew up being extremely close to his mother. When his father passed away in 1940, Edward was not significantly affected by the loss, due to the lack of connection he had with his father. Four years later, his brother Henry passed due to a fire near their home; police suspected that Edward had had something to do with his death because he led them directly to his brother’s burnt body.2 The following year his mother Augusta also passed away, leaving Edward all alone on a big farm. After Augusta’s passing, Edward blocked off rooms in the house where his mother had spent most of her time, creating something of a shrine for her. With Edward being all alone it is said that this is what drove him into having psychopathic behavior.3
Edward’s first known victim was Bernice Worden in 1957. Worden worked in a hardware store in town. Edward went to the store as he usually did on Friday’s right before closing time, and asked Mrs. Worden to fill up his jug with antifreeze. Edward had recently started to question Mrs. Worden on whether or not she would like to go roller-skating or “try out the floor” in his words. When she declined, he left, and then he quickly returned to ask about a rifle she had on the wall. When Mrs. Worden handed Edward the rifle he desired, she proceeded to look out the window. While she had her back turned, Edward loaded the rifle with the .22 shells he had in his overall pockets. The next morning Bernard Muschinski, Sr. found something strange with Mrs. Worden’s store. It had seemed that the store had been closed for the weekend, but she had left the lights on, which was something she usually didn’t do.4
When police were tipped off by Mrs. Worden’s son that Edward was the one that had kidnapped and killed his mother, the police took off to find him. While Edward Gein was in custody, police officers went to explore his land to try and find Bernice Worden’s body. While examining the house for any signs of Mrs. Worden’s body, the two officers made their way into the summer kitchen and started making their way to the other side. Officer Schley stepped back and felt something rub against his jacket. When he beamed his light towards what was rubbing against him there, in the beam of light hung a large corpse. While looking at the body that was in front of them, they noticed that it was attached by its feet and was split open and decapitated the way a deer would be. Before running out from the sight of it, Schley had managed to get out a couple of words, “My God, there she is.” They had finally found the missing body of Bernice Worden. After other officers were called, they began exploring the central part of Gein’s house. While they were looking around the house, the officers found many ghoulish things, from a human skull to things like lampshades, wastebaskets, bracelets, and even a belt made from human body parts. Officers on the scene also found a chair upholstered from human flesh along with many other gruesome things. While being interrogated Gein was asked many questions regarding the strange things in his house, which he answered in a calm, truthful manner. When he was asked whether or not he would put on the skin face mask that was found in his home, Gein responded that he did without hesitation.5
With Gein admitting to the crimes and the evidence in his home, it was easy for the officers to charge him with murder. At the time of his trial, he was considered unfit to stand trial and was admitted to the Central State Hospital for the Criminally Insane in Wisconsin on January 6, 1958. After a decade of being charged with first-degree murder, Gein was finally considered to be fit to stand trial; he was then found not guilty because of insanity and went back to the State Hospital. Edward Gein’s crimes have subsequently become the basis for many Hollywood horror movies, including Psycho (1960), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), and Silence of the Lambs (1991).6
- Harold Schechter, Deviant: the shocking true story of the original “psycho” (New York, NY: Pocket Books, 1998), 61. ↵
- Encyclopædia Britannica, 2018, s.v. “Ed Gein,” by John Philip Jenkins. ↵
- Salem Press Biographical Encyclopedia, 2016, s.v. “Ed Gein,” by Charles Avinger. ↵
- Harold Schechter, Deviant: the shocking true story of the original “psycho” (New York, NY: Pocket Books, 1998), 67. ↵
- Harold Schechter, Deviant: the shocking true story of the original “psycho” (New York, NY: Pocket Books, 1998), 122, 124. ↵
- Salem Press EncyclopediaResearch Starters, EBSCOhost, 2013, s.v. “Serial killer,” by Kathy Warnes. ↵
84 comments
Christopher Hohman
Nice article. What this man did to that poor woman is just despicable. I wonder if he had had a more stable childhood maybe he would not have developed such terrible fantasies. This crime again raises the question of whether or not he was born this way or whether or not he was like that from birth. It is really creepy that his crimes were used as a basis for many famous horror movies. That just shows how infamous and awful his crimes were.
Eric Ortega Rodriguez
Being a horror movie enthusiast “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” is a movie I am very familiar with. I would never have imagined that the basis for this movie was based on Edward Gein’s crimes. It is crazy to think that an innocent boy could turn into murder, however, when looking at his hard upbringing, it can be noticed how it could have affected his mental state. Overall, this was a very fascinating and well-written article. Great work.
Damian Jennings
Mental health is an important aspect in our lives that gets overlooked and people usually label others with destructive words such as insane, this man was not insane, he was mentally unstable and I believe that everyone has the capability of returning to sanity. That does not mean they should return back into a society because they have shown to be a threat and Ed Gein was most definitely a threat to anyone who got into his way.
Lilliana Canales
Ed Gein should have been found guilty without the question of insanity. He had no motive for killing people, he just did it because he wanted to. The fact that has was proclaimed insane is offensive to those who actually do have mental issues because those people actually don’t know what they’re doing. This was a great article and the mention of movie inspirations was shocking to someone who didn’t know that.
Kathyleen Lauriano
This is the first time im hearing about Edward Gein. I believe his upbringing had nothing to do with what he did. What was described in his house was very disturbing. How could someone do something like that. I feel like if he confessed then he should have been able to go to trial. He should have been found guilty for what he did. This article was well written and detailed. Good job!
Lyzette Flores
I believe if he was capable enough to confess of his crimes that he should have been sent to jail. However, there is no justifying of what he did but what happened to him was terrible. He didn’t just lose one family member but to lost them all. I see where he must have gone insane and started doing horrifying things. If he is still alive, I wonder how he feels towards the actions he committed or he simply does not remember nor care.
Mariana Valadez
I had never heard about Edward Gein before read this. It is crazy how after all of the crimes he was found not guilty. It is weird how Geins childhood had a huge impact on how he grew out to be. I enjoyed reading this article and it kept me on my toes the entire time. It was very well written!
Sofia Andrade
The things that were found in his house were gruesome. All of the things Gein did to his victims proved that he is sick from his mind. However I do believe that he was poorly trialed, his actions and his confession should have more strongly supported him being sent to prison. I am wondering what evidence made police believe that Gein killed his brother and why Gein would do such a thing.
Luisa Ortiz
The story kept me the whole time on my toes! The story is both sad and scary but with the suspense and the storytelling, you craft made it bearable for me to continue reading! The story remained me of a CSI episode or like you wrote a scary movie. Sadly, it is real and real people were affected by this tragic events.
Jose Fernandez
Reading about this person made me sick. It is scary to think that people like that exist in this world. I personally don’t like that some people are “unfit to face trial’’ and don’t receive the punishment they really deserve. This man was a murderer and I wish he had spent his entire life in prison. The article is very well written and it kept me hooked until the end.