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
Pedro Gonzalez Aboyte
I never knew who Edward Gein was but he is truly a terrifying and damaged person. The article does a great job of explaining who he was and what he did so concisely. It is sickening to know that a man actually lived the way he did. There is absolutely no explanation for his having things made of body parts besides the fact that he was a psychopath and mentally ill. The acts that Edward committed were horrible, and it’s incredible that he confessed to all of it truthfully. I also did not know that he was an inspiration for some of the more famous scary movies.
Eric Ortega Rodriguez
Woah, this is an extremely terrifying and interesting story and this article did a great job tying everything together. I have never been into scary movies, however, I recall hearing about “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and how frightening the plot of the story was. I would never have imagined that the basis for this movie was based on Edward Gein’s crimes. These crimes were horrific, seeing the hard upbringing Gein had, his mental state suffered, it is sad to see an innocent boy turn into a murderer and a necrophiliac.
Adam Portillo
Ed Gein’s is surely interesting just because of how ironic and quick things went. Growing up he seemed like a sweet and innocent boy who wouldn’t dare to hurt anyone. As he got older things just seemed to get worse and worse for him. I could imagine the death of Ed Gein’s mother was really hard on Ed Gein and it was a life event that will change him forever. Ed Gein went from being a sweet boy to a psychotic killer is fascinating yet the things he did were indeed sickening. Enjoyed reading this article.
Dylan Sanchez
Such a fascinating story of the potential of the human mind. I wish it delved more into the stories of his childhood to see if there were any odd happenings that might have caused him to be the way he was. I say this because I don’t believe being alone could make you a murderer, there has to have been something traumatic. And the fact that he admitted to just skinning an individual was so chilling. Great read, would love to hear more.
Micaela Cruz
Edward Gein’s story itself is quite fascinating yet very mortifying. The idea that someone can completely change in such a quick moment, from being harmless to a deranged lunatic, is horrifying. I had never heard of Gein prior to reading this article nor was I aware that because of his life and crimes it inspired Hollywood films. A truly captivating and interesting article from beginning to end.
Eloisa Sanchez Urrea
It is amazing to think that a traumatic event can turn our world upside down, and turn us into someone we never imagined. This article was suspenseful and disturbing, but that is what kept me intrigued until the very last word. Stories like these go to show that we never know what is going on in a person’s head or in their homes.
Greyson Addicott
If I didn’t know any better, I would believe that this article was describing fiction, it just seems so unreal. I do not believe he should have been let off the case due to his mental problems, as people like that really need to be tried for their crimes, insane or not.The acts that this individual preformed are truly horrifying, and I cannot imagine how the police felt when they saw the hanging corpse of miss Worden.
Tessa Bodukoglu
I love how the first sentence starts off with how he was an innocent child that wouldn’t hurt a fly and then reading further down and discovering that he was a murderer. Ed Gein may have been insane, but he should have been found guilty. the things that he did to that women and probably countless other people is inexcusable and inhumane. throughout the article, I was constantly drawn in and wanted to know more about the story.
Mason Meza
It is absolutely disgusting how one can be known to not hurt a fly and just a few years later be known as a psychopath who kills and skins his victims. This made my stomach turn reading this story, and there are very few stories or movies that can make that happen to me. Though it is very dis-appealing, it is also very interesting, and it makes me want to watch the movies that were based of of Ed Gein.
Miguel Rivera
You tend to imagine how exactly this man was or what he did on a daily basis. Do you picture Jame Gumb from “The Silence of the Lambs”? Leatherface from “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”? Or how about Norman Bates from “Psycho”? He was said to be shy and kind but these malicious and horrible acts say otherwise. It makes you think who else has these thoughts but pose as a normal human being, he was unfit to stand trial but I think that he was truly insane and sinister. Great article I was interested in reading the story which has now made me paranoid and looking over my shoulder.