Ed Gein's mother, Augusta Gein, died of a heart attack on December 29, 1945, at the age of 67, after suffering a second stroke. She had previously experienced a paralyzing stroke in 1944, which left her dependent on Ed for care until her death.
Circumstances of Death
Augusta Gein's health declined significantly after a stroke in 1944, leaving her incapacitated and reliant on her son Ed. Although she regained the ability to walk by 1945, she suffered another stroke and died shortly afterward. Some accounts suggest her final stroke may have been triggered by witnessing a neighbor with another woman, which disturbed her due to her strict moral beliefs.
Impact on Ed Gein
After Augusta's death, Ed preserved her bedroom exactly as it was, maintaining it in an immaculate, shrine-like state while the rest of the house fell into disarray. His profound emotional attachment to his mother, described as "excessively emotionally attached" in a 1957 psychiatric report, played a central role in his descent into grave robbing and murder. He claimed to have heard her voice for about a year after her death and later attempted to recreate her by crafting a "woman suit" from the skin of exhumed female corpses.
