Serial Killers: Ed Gein

By: Sam Wolfe

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Ed Gein (1906-1984), also called the "Butcher of Plainfield" or "Plainfield Ghoul", was an American murderer and body snatcher from Plainfield, Wisconsin. His crimes in the 1950s became notorious for their gruesomeness and heavily influenced horror fiction.

Crimes

• Confessed murders: Gein confessed to killing two women — tavern owner Mary Hogan in 1954 and hardware store owner Bernice Worden in 1957. Both went missing from Plainfield businesses.
• Discovery: Police investigating Worden’s disappearance searched Gein’s farm on Nov 16, 1957. They found Worden’s decapitated, gutted body hanging in his shed.
• House findings: The search revealed a house of horrors: furniture and clothing made from human skin and bones, skulls used as bowls, a "skin suit", masks made from faces, and a collection of women’s body parts. Authorities determined he had exhumed at least 9 corpses from local cemeteries between 1947-1954 to create these items. He claimed he was trying to make a “woman suit” to become his mother.