Ed Gein was an American serial killer and grave robber, born on August 27, 1906, in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and died on July 26, 1984, in Madison, Wisconsin. Known as the "Butcher of Plainfield" and the "Plainfield Ghoul," Gein was notorious for exhuming corpses from graveyards and making keepsakes out of their bones and skin. He confessed to killing two women—Mary Hogan in 1954 and Bernice Worden in 1957—and was suspected of other murders, although not all were proven. He was found legally insane and spent the rest of his life in a psychiatric institution. Gein's crimes inspired several well-known horror movies including Psycho, The Silence of the Lambs, and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Gein grew up in a troubled household with a domineering, religious mother and an alcoholic father. After his mother's death in 1945, Gein became increasingly reclusive and disturbed. His brother Henry died in a suspicious fire, which some speculate Gein may have been involved in, but his death was officially ruled an accident. Gein lived alone on the family farm in Plainfield, Wisconsin, and supported himself through odd jobs while developing morbid interests that culminated in his criminal acts. In summary, Ed Gein was a notorious and gruesome American murderer and body snatcher whose life and crimes had a lasting impact on true crime history and popular culture.
