The Disturbing Life of Edward Gein

Trigger Warning: death, child abuse, verbal abuse

I will start by giving background information about Ed’s family life and childhood. 

Edward’s mother was named Augusta and his father’s name was George. Augusta was raised to obey strict code of conduct and her father did not hesitate to enforce these rules with beatings as punishment. She was raised in a very strict household with strict religious beliefs. George was an orphan at a young age because his family died in the Mississippi River after a flood. George had many jobs such as a carpenter, railroad worker, and insurance salesman. It was rumored that he could not keep a job because he loved to drink. Augusta was very verbally abusive towards George in public and private settings because to her, he was a “pushover”. After work, George would go to a local tavern, get drunk and come home and beat Augusta because those were the only times he felt comfortable enough to stand up for himself. The result of the beatings you may ask? Augusta would pray on her hands and knees begging God to kill her husband.

In January of 1902, the oldest child, Henry, was born. On August 27, 1906, Edward was born and the Gein family resided in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Augusta then forced George to move their family to Plainfield, Wisconsin. She kept her sons away from anything she considered to be “sinful”. Augusta kept the kids mostly isolated from the outside world and they were always doing chores or helping on the farm. Augusta preached to her children that all women, except herself, were prostitutes and products of the devil.

Here is Ed’s Story…

Edward was described as a shy child who has very “strange” mannerisms. Ed did not have many friends and when he made friends, his mother was against it. Augusta and Ed were very close and Ed considered his mother to be his “first love” and his “best friend”. April 1, 1940, George dies due to heart failure. This resulted in Ed and Henry working odd jobs to help cover living expenses back at home. Henry used to talk to Edward about how he needed to explore the world outside of their house and their mother, which deeply upset Ed. So, on May 16, 1944 while the two were burning marsh on the farm, a fire broke out and Henry’s body was later discovered by a search team. His cause of death was asphyxiation. Some suspect that Ed killed his brother, but it is not certain. A year after his brother’s death, his mother had a stroke and was confined to her bed. Ed constantly took care of her, yet she still verbally abused him. She then passed away December 1945, when Ed was 39 years old.

After Ed’s mom died, he completely neglected the family house, except for his mother’s room which remained in perfect condition. No one in the community saw Ed unless he was running errands or stopped for a beer at a local tavern. Ed typically made odd jokes that many didn’t notice too often, but after several different murders occurred in the town, many started to think that Ed was behind them due to his jokes. On November 16, 1957 Bernice Worden , who worked at a local hardware store, went missing, and her son Frank called police to inform them of her disappearance. Ed was the last customer at the store and he purchased anti-freeze. Police then go to his farm house and investigate the scene in which they fine Bernice’s body hanging from a pulley. Her insides were missing and her head was decapitated. Police then call for back up and explore the rest of the scene.

Descriptions Get Graphic Here

There were several human skulls discovered that were sawed off and turned into soup bowls. There was a chair that was upholstered in human skin. Ed made lampshades out of human flesh. There was a box discovered that contained sawed-off human noses. Ed also made a belt out of women’s nipples. There was a shade pole discovered that was decorated with a pair of woman’s lips. A shoebox under the bed contained dried woman’s genitalia.  On one wall of the house, there was the faces of 9 different woman. When Ed was found, he was in the process of hand-sewing a shirt made out of human skin as well as making other items of clothing simply out off human flesh. Ed said he did this so he could dress up and be a woman, specifically his mother. He would dress up in these clothes and walk around in them so he felt like his mother. His refrigerator was stocked with human organs. Police say it was about 15 different bodies found in the home. At 4:30 am, police discover Bernice’s head in a sack. In the ears of the head, there were large nails connected with twine. When police ask why Edward put nails in her head, he stated that he was going to hang her head as decoration. Ed confessed to two murders; the other bodies came from a local cemetery. Ed says that the skin from the previously deceased bodies was hard to work with when crafting, which is why he killed two people.

Ed was charged with one count of first-degree murder and plead not guilty due to reason of insanity. He was unfit to stand trial and was sent to the Central State Hospital for the criminaly insane and 10 years later he was sane enough for trial. He was found guilty of first-degree murder. Ed stayed locked up in an institution for the rest of his life and he passed away July 26, 1984. Ed’s house was mysteriously burned before he died and many in the community supported this and was proud the house was gone. In 2000, someone stole Edwards headstone from his grave and was later found in Seattle.

There were many movies based on the life of Ed Gein such as Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Most Evil, Deranged, Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, and The Silence of the Lambs.