Ed Gein was a notorious killer and grave robber who lived in Plainfield, Wisconsin. He was born on August 27, 1906, and grew up in a repressive household dominated by a controlling mother. Following her death in 1945, his mental health disintegrated. Gein was apprehended as a suspect in the disappearance of Bernice Worden, a local hardware store owner, in 1957. Under questioning, Gein confessed to killing Worden and Mary Hogan, three years earlier. Additionally, he admitted to digging up numerous corpses for cutting off body parts, practicing necrophilia, and fashioning masks and suits out of skin to wear around the home. With that sort of evidence, authorities attempted to connect him to other murders and disappearances from recent years but were unable to draw any definitive conclusions.

Geins lawyer entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity, and in January 1958, Gein was found unfit to stand trial. He was committed to Central State Hospital, where he variously worked as a mason, carpenters assistant, and medical center aide. In early 1968, Gein was determined fit to finally stand trial. That November, he was found guilty of the murder of Worden. However, he was also found insane at the time of the murder, and as such, he was recommitted to Central State Hospital. Ed Gein died on July 26, 1984, due to respiratory and heart failure.