Ed Gein
Generally refered to as a ‘serial killer’ despite only being convicted for two murders, Edward Gein gained notoriety as a grave robber who desecrated a large number of burial sites. Born in Wisconsin to George and Augusta Gein, he experienced a childhood of forced religion, only leaving the house to go to school. His mother, Augusta, was devoutly Lutheran, reading to her children violent Bible passages and telling them of the immorality of the world, drink and all women (excluding herself). Although he did relatively well at school, he had few friends and his strange mannerisms made him the target of bullies.
After his father died in 1940, his brother was killed in mysterious circumstances in 1944, and his mother died in 1945 as the result of a stroke. With few connections to the outside world, Gein began to cultivate an interest in death cults and the macabre. He flew under the radar until 1957, when following the death of a disappearance of a local shopowner, his house was investigated by the Police. What they found was a veritable museum of remains. As well as the corpse of the shopowner, they found, amongst other items, skulls used to decorate bedposts and lamps, skin used to upholster chairs, a vest made of a human torso, socks made from flesh and an array of shrunken heads.
When questioned, Gein eventually admitted to digging up bodies from a local gravesite, and also confessed to the 1954 murder of another local woman. After being found mentally insane, Gein spent the rest of his days in Mendota State Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin, remaining there until his death in 1984. His story has had a significant impact on popular culture, and it has subsequently been portrayed across a range of media, providing a provocative tale that continues to shock today.
