Netflix are looking into the crimes of Ed Gein for the third season of their Anthology series Monster.
Created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, the new episodes will zoom in on Ed Gein, who committed several crimes around his hometown of Plainfield, Wisconsin in the 1950s.
Played by Charlie Hunnam, Ed was also known as the "Butcher of Plainfield" and the "Plainfield Ghoul".
"I wanted to get as close as possible to who Ed was, to do him justice, and for this thing to feel authentic," Hunnam told Tudum about his portrayal of Ed Gein. "This is going to be the really human, tender, unflinching, no-holds-barred exploration of who Ed was and what he did. But who he was being at the center of it, rather than what he did."
As Monster: The Ed Gein Story comes to Netflix, here's everything you need to know about Ed Gein, including how he was finally caught.
Who was Ed Gein?
Ed Gein was an American serial killer and body snatcher.
He was born in La Crosse, Wisconsin, in 1906, and was the youngest of two sons of George and Augusta Gein. When Ed was young, he and his family moved to an isolated farm in Plainfield, in Waushara County in central Wisconsin.
Ed grew up in a very strict household and was only allowed to leave the house to attend school, as super religious Augusta was adamant about protecting her two sons from temptation. It's been reported that she'd punish Ed if he tried to make friends with his schoolmates. Nevertheless, Ed idolised his mother. His relationship with his father was strained, however, with Ed claiming that he abused Ed and his older brother Henry.
In 1940, Ed's father George died of heart failure. Four years later, his older brother passed away - allegedly from the same issues. In 1945, his mother suffered two strokes. Ed became her carer after the first one, but the second one was fatal and she later passed away.
Following his mother's death Ed's mental state deteriorated leading to a series of dreadful crimes.
What did Ed Gein do?
After his mother's death, Ed remained in his family home, keeping his mother's room neat and untouched. He began to develop an interest in anatomy books, and supported himself by working as a handyman.
Over the years, a few people from the area mysteriously disappeared. Among them was Mary Hogan, who ran a tavern in nearby Pine Grove that Ed regularly visited. Hogan, who was 54 at the time disappeared in December 1954.
At the time, Ed's neighbours didn't suspect anything, deeming him harmless - if anything, eccentric.
On 16th November 1957, Bernice Worden aged 58, was reported missing from her hardware store in Plainfield. The cash register was also missing and a stream of blood led out to the back of the shop. Her son Frank, who was a deputy sheriff, was suspicious of Ed, and arrested him while he was at a neighbour's home.
That evening, the authorities visited Ed's home and an investigation of the property led to the horrendous discovery of Worden's headless, gutted body hanging from the ceiling in Ed's shed. Further examination of the house resulted in more shocking revelations, including human skulls, which Ed had been using for soup bowls, organs in jars, chairs upholstered with human skin, a belt made from human nipples, as well as human noses and lips, all carefully preserved.
Under questioning, Ed, who was 51 at the time, confessed to killing Worden, as well as Hogan three years earlier. He admitted to shooting both women, who resembled his late mother.
In addition to these crimes, he confessed to digging up numerous corpses in order to cut off their body parts so that he could engage in necrophilia and make clothing out of human skin. Given the evidence, the authorities tried to connect Ed to several other murders and disappearances that had recently occurred, however, they weren't able to reach a conclusion.
Was Ed Gein into cannibalism?
While Ed claimed to have committed more than forty grave robberies beginning in 1947 and admitted using the corpses for sexual gratification, he denied having sex with the corpses or taking part in cannibalism.
How was Ed Gein caught?
Ed was caught after killing his second victim, Bernice Worden. Worden's son was suspicious of Ed and apprehended him while he was at his neighbour’s home.
Ed was initially determined unfit to stand trial following a schizophrenia diagnosis. He was committed to Central State Hospital in Waupun, a mental facility in Wisconsin. Here, he worked as a mason, carpenter’s assistant, and medical center aide.
In 1968, he was deemed competent to stand trial and was found guilty of the murder of Worden. He was also found insane at the time of the murder and was therefore recommitted to Central State Hospital.
He attempted to petition for release in 1974, but this was rejected.
After his health began to deteriorate in the late 1970s, Ed was transferred to the Mendota Mental Health Institute in Madison, Wisconsin.
At the age of 77, Ed died of complications from lung cancer and respiratory illnesses.
He was buried in a county cemetery near Plainfield, however, his grave remains unmarked after his gravestone was stolen in June 2000.
Monster: The Ed Gein Story starts on Friday 1st October.
