The Henry Gein Crime Scene: Key Evidence That Points Directly to Ed

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Q1: Was an autopsy ever performed on Henry Gein?
A1: No official autopsy was conducted. In May 1944, rural coroner Frank Worden visually inspected the body, noted asphyxiation as the cause of death, and released the remains for burial. When the state investigated Ed Gein in 1957, prosecutors decided against exhuming Henry because Ed was already facing institutionalization for other confirmed murders.

Q2: Why didn't police arrest Ed Gein immediately after Henry's death?
A2: Plainfield was a tight-knit farming community where unusual deaths were often chalked up to farming hazards or seasonal accidents. Ed was regarded by locals as eccentric but harmless, and forensic investigative tools in rural Wisconsin during World War II were rudimentary at best.

Q3: Did Ed Gein ever confess to murdering his brother?
A3: Ed never admitted to killing Henry. During his 1957 interrogations, he acknowledged the fight they had fought against the fire but repeatedly insisted that smoke inhalation caused Henry's collapse before he could reach him.