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The Butcher of Plainfield, Edward Gein

Meet the most ruthless body snatcher in history

Lioness Rue
4 min readSep 18, 2020
Edward Gein (1906–1984) and his objects made from human parts —images by Stacey Russell and Michelle Pruitt

HHis full name was Edward Theodore Gein. Besides being a serial killer, he is also famous for being a body snatcher. He was the inspiration behind some horror films villains such as Ezra in Deranged, Leatherface in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Buffalo Bill in The Silence of the Lambs, and Norman Bates in Psycho. This man also inspired the production of many documentaries and books.

Gein was the son of Augusta Wilhelmine Gein and George Philip Gein. His mother was raised in an extremely strict household, and she was a victim of physical abuse as she grew up. Gein’s father grew up as an orphan and worked multiple jobs, he was also an alcoholic and physically abusive toward his wife. Gein also had a brother, Henry, who was four years older than him.

Gein was born on August 27th, 1906, and he lived in La Crosse, Wisconsin, with his family. In 1915, his family moved to a 155-acre farm in the town of Plainfield, Wisconsin. His mother, Augusta, tried to raise him in a pure and righteous household. Augusta always preached to her son about her beliefs: she believed all women were instruments of the devil.

Gein grew up as a shy and weird child. He shared a strong bond with his mother and was a loner because his mom was heavily against…

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Lioness Rue
Lioness Rue

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