#5

The Butcher of Plainfield

aka Edward Theodore Gein

The American murderer known as the Plainfield Ghoul or Butcher of Plainfield committed his crimes from 1944-1957 in the State of Wisconsin. He claimed the lives of at least 3 victims during this time frame and defiled the graves of many others.

Known Victims:
Henry Gein, age 43.
Mary Hogan, age 54.
Bernice Worden, age 58.



Edward Theodore Gein was born on August 27, 1906 in La Crosse County, Wisconsin. He was the youngest of 2 boys; his older brother was named Henry. Gein's childhood was plagued by an alcoholic father and a religiously fanatical mother. His father struggled to hold down a job, leaving the family with little choice but to move to an isolated farm in Plainfield, WI. His mother took advantage of the farm's isolation by dissuading them to socialize and warning them of the evils of the world. Mrs. Gein taught her sons that alcohol was evil, mankind is evil, and women especially are evil whores. Her favorite Bible verses to share with her sons were ones involving death, God's wrath, and murder...think like Mama from The Waterboy but way darker. Mrs. Gein wanted to "protect" her sons so the only time that they were allowed off of the farm was to go to school. As you might imagine, school was not a kind place to the Gein boys. They were made fun because of their strange behaviors and were punished by their mother if they attempted to make friends.

On April 1, 1940, Gein's father passes away due to complications from his alcoholism. The Gein boys had to pick up odd jobs in town to help make ends meet at the farm. Henry and Ed worked as handymen and were generally well-liked around town. Ed also babysat local children and enjoyed his time around them. In 1944, Henry began dating a woman and was in the process of moving in with her. Finally free from his mother's grasp, Henry starts making comments to Ed about how crazy their mother is and questioned Ed's loyalty to her. Needless to say, Ed did not respond positively to his brother's comments.

On May 16, 1944, Henry and Ed Gein were on the farm burning brush in a pasture. The fire gets out of control and the local fire department is called. When the fire is extinguished, Ed reports that his brother Henry is missing. A search party is gathered and Henry's body is soon found. Henry was found face down and had been there for a while. Henry's body showed no signs of burns or visible injuries. The death was not suspected as foul play and no autopsy was performed. The official cause of death was listed as asphyxiation. Later biographers would surmise that Henry had bruises on his head (source: Harold Schechter (2010). Deviant. Simon & Schuster. p. 50) and that it was most likely a "Cain and Abel" (source: Gollmar, Robert H. (1981). Edward Gein: America's Most Bizarre Murderer) murder.

With his brother and father gone, Ed was left alone with his mother. Mrs. Gein had a massive, debilitating stroke shortly after Henry's death that left her paralyzed. Ed took care of his mother on a daily basis and provided for all of her needs. She had a second stroke not long after and passed away on December 29, 1945. Ed was completely devastated. He continued to live on the farm and in the same home. He boarded up all of the rooms in the home and lived in a small room off of the kitchen. He continued to work off jobs around the town but things got weird in his free time. Gein quickly became fascinated with reading "death-cult magazines" (source: Schechter 1989) and stories involving cannibals and Nazis.

The Gein Farmhouse

source: murderpedia.org

On November 16, 1957, local hardware store owner Bernice Worden was reported missing. A witness reported seeing the store's truck leave around 9:30 am that morning. The store had been closed all day but no one thought this particularly alarming since it was deer hunting season. Bernice's son, Deputy Sheriff Frank Worden, went into the store around 5 pm that evening and discovered that there were blood stains on the floor and the cash register drawer was wide open. Deputy Worden told investigators that Ed Gein was in the store the previous evening and had told them then that he would back the next morning for antifreeze. Sure enough, Bernice's last sales receipt written was for a gallon of antifreeze. On the same day, Gein was arrested at the local grocery store on suspicion of Bernice Worden's disappearance. Investigators searched Gein's home and were in for a surprise.

Here's what law enforcement discovered at the Gein farm:

• Whole human bones and bone fragments
• Four human noses
• Fingernails
• Human skulls on his bedposts
• Female skulls, some with the tops sawn off
• Wastebasket made of human skin
• Several chair covers made out of human skin
• Bowls made from human skulls
• 9 vulvae in a shoe box
• A pair of lips on a window blind drawstring
• A lampshade made from the skin of human faces
• A belt made from human female nipples
• Leggings made from human skin
• A young girl's dress 
• 2 vulvae from teen aged girls
• Masks made from human skin
• An apron made from the skin of a human torso
• Shrunken heads

Along with all of this SUPER disturbing stuff, law enforcement also found a decapitated Bernice Worden, hung upside down by her legs and "dressed out like a deer" (source: Douglas, John E.; Olshaker, Mark (1998). Obsession: The FBI's Legendary Profiler Probes the Psyches of Killers, Rapists, and Stalkers and Their Victims and Tells How to Fight Back); all mutilations to Bernice seemed to be done post mortem and cause of death appeared to be bullet wounds from a .22-caliber rifle. Bernice's head was found in a burlap sack and her heart was located in a plastic bag near the stove. The skull of Mary Hogan was also discovered along with a mask made out of her face.

Obviously, law enforcement was horrified and appalled that any of this was happening. When they questioned Ed Gein, Gein stated that he had made around 40 visits to grave sites from 1947-1952. Once at the freshly dug graves, he would exhume the bodies while in a "daze-like state." (source: Schechter 1989) On about 30 of his visits, Gein reports coming out of the daze while in the cemetery and leaving empty-handed. For the bodies that he did exhume, he picked middle-aged women that resembled his mother and took the bodies back to the farmhouse where he skinned them. Investigators looked at Gein and saw a slightly built man--not the ideal body type for a grave robber. So they went and exhumed the graves that Gein had told them about to see if he was telling the truth. And sure enough, he really did what he said he did. All in all, Gein admitted to robbing 9 graves.

Gein also admitted to crafting a "woman suit" so that he could become his mother. Gein denied ever having sex with the corpses because they "smelled too bad." (source: Bell, Rachael and Marilyn Bardsley. "Seriously weird". CrimeLibrary.com)

Although never officially linked, Gein is thought to be responsible for the disappearance and death of local Evelyn Hartley in 1953. Gein did admit to shooting and killing Mary Hogan, a local tavern owner, but denied remembering details about her death.

On November 21, 1957, Ed Gein was arraigned on 1 count of first degree murder where he subsequently pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. Before the trial, Gein was shipped to a local mental health facility where he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and was found to be mentally unfit for trial. He was sent to a maximum security mental health correctional facility. In 1968, Gein was re-evaluated and determined by doctors to be cognizant enough to participate in a trial. His trial officially began on November 7, 1958 in Madison, WI and lasted 1 week. It was held without a jury. At trial, Gein denied knowing if the death of Bernice Worden was accidental or intentional. He testified that he remembers seeing a gun in the store and looking at, then the gun going off and striking Bernice. He didn't remember any details after that.

Gein was found guilty of first degree murder on November 14, 1958.

But the story doesn't end there.

Gein had a second trial to deal with issues of his sanity. He was then found not guilty due to reason of insanity. He was ordered to spend the rest of his life in a mental health hospital for the criminally insane. Gein was only tried for the murder of Bernice Worden but admitted to killing Mary Hogan as well.

In 1958, the Gein farmhouse was burned to the ground and arson is highly suspected.

Edward Theodore Gein died of complications from lung cancer on July 26, 1984. He was 77 years old. Gein was placed in a grave site near his parents and brother which is now unmarked due to vandalism of his head marker. 

Ed Gein was the inspiration behind many horror movies/stories including Robert Bloch's Psycho and character Norman Bates, Texas Chainsaw Massacre and character Leatherface, Silence of the Lambs and character Buffalo Bill, and American Horror Story: Asylum and character Dr. Oliver Thredson.

As Gein has only officially been linked to 2 murders (and most likely his brothers to make 3 total), he is not classified as a serial killer because a serial killer must have more than 3 confirmed victims.

Don't scroll any further if you don't want to see the aforementioned nipple belt: