Edward Theodore Gein. (August 27, 1906 – July 26, 1984), also known as The Butcher of Plainfield, was an American murderer and body snatcher. His crimes, committed around his hometown of Plainfield, Wisconsin, gathered widespread notoriety after authorities discovered that Gein had exhumed corpses from local graveyards and fashioned trophies and keepsakes from their bones and skin. Gein confessed to killing two women – tavern owner Mary Hogan in 1954, and a Plainfield hardware store owner, Bernice Worden in 1957. Gein was initially found unfit to stand trial and confined to a mental health facility. In 1968, Gein was found guilty but legally insane of the murder of Worden, and was remanded to psychiatric institutions. He died at Mendota Mental Health Institute of cancer-induced liver and respiratory failure at age 77 on July 26, 1984. He is buried next to his family in the Plainfield Cemetery, in a now unmarked grave.
This case always fascinated me because the little town of Plainfield is only about 15 to 20 miles from where I grew up. I was 2 years old when this man and his secrets came to light. I heard about it all of my life. Today, it's hard to believe that something like that was going on and nobody knew about it. Back then, I can understand how it may have gone on for so long. It was a rural area and people minded their own business.
There are a number of books on the case out there and a few movies have been made, based on the man.
I recommend this movie:
Ed Gein (2000) (movie): The story of Ed Gein, who dug up the corpses of over a dozen women and made things out of their remains before finally shooting two people to death and butchering their bodies like beef sides.
Cast: Steve Railsback (Ed Gein), Carrie Snodgress (Augusta W. Gein), Carol Mansell (Collette Marshall), Sally Champlin (Mary Hogan), Steve Blackwood (Brian)
The case was the inspiration behind the book/movie, Psycho.
There is a great deal of information here on the internet also.
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