Ngôi nhà nông trại biệt lập của Ed Gein ở Plainfield, Wisconsin, gần như khét tiếng như chính tên trộm mộ, nhân vật chính trong loạt phim ăn khách  Monster: The Ed Gein Story của Netflix . Nhưng không giống như  Ngôi nhà Lizzie Borden  , nơi chúng ta sẽ được thấy rộng rãi trong mùa tiếp theo của  Monster trên Netflix , địa điểm chôn cất quá khứ đẫm máu của Gein đã không còn tồn tại nữa.

Ngôi nhà thô sơ, không có lò sưởi—nơi chính quyền phát hiện Gein cất giữ một  ngôi đền rùng rợn để tưởng nhớ người mẹ quá cố của hắn, Augusta , và hài cốt của nạn nhân Bernice Worden—đã trở thành một điểm du lịch nổi tiếng sau khi Gein bị bắt vào năm 1957. Cư dân gần đó lo lắng rằng cộng đồng vốn yên tĩnh của họ sẽ bị bao vây bởi những người tò mò bệnh hoạn.

However, Gein’s property quickly met its demise, and its true fate remains the subject of mysterious speculation today.

Gein’s house and property were put up for auction

In March 1958, only four months after the murder of Worden and Gein’s subsequent arrest, the killer’s farmhouse and personal property were scheduled to be put up for auction.

As seen on a poster from the Wisconsin Historical Society, the sale was set to take place at noon on March 30, with household goods and heavy equipment such as a farming mill and mower up for sale, as well as Gein’s Ford sedan and Chevrolet pickup truck. The farm itself would then hit the block at 2:30 p.m.

According to a newspaper report in the Stevens Point Journal, the auction company planned to charge 50 cents for admission to inspect the farm, but later rescinded the fee. Others planned to sell post cards and serve lunches at the inspection and the auction itself, illustrating how people tried capitalize on Gein’s notoriety. There was also speculation that buyers hoped to turn the house into a museum, which disquieted local residents.

But as it turned out, no one got the chance to own the infamous piece of true crime history.

A mysterious fire destroyed the farmhouse

On March 20, just days before the auction, the Stevens Point Journal reported that Gein’s house was destroyed in a fire.

According to the article, a policeman spotted the glow of the blaze from a nearby village at around 2:30 a.m. By the time the Plainfield volunteer fire department arrived, the fire was out of control and focus shifted to preventing its spread.

When the fire was over, the house was down to its foundation and a “stove and a few palls, tubs and cans lay among the ashes.”

Ironically, Frank Worden—the son of Gein’s victim who initially suspected his crimes—served as chief of the Plainfield fire department and was one of the responders.

Although organizers had started a controlled fire near the house to clear brush and rubbish ahead of the auction, leaving the possibility the incident was accidental, residents and officials immediately speculated the large blaze was an act of arson. “We had to assume that the fire was set,” a state fire marshal said.

The cause of the fire was never determined

Because there was no snow on the ground, tracks were not present to aid investigators in finding a potential suspect. The cause of the fire was ultimately never confirmed.

When later told about the fire that had consumed his former residence, Gein reportedly offered a terse response: “Just as well.”

Theo tờ  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel , khu đất nơi ngôi nhà của Gein tọa lạc hiện là đất nông nghiệp tư nhân. Nó vẫn bị bỏ hoang và phủ đầy cây cối. Tuy nhiên, nhiều người đam mê tội phạm thực sự vẫn tìm đến vùng nông thôn Wisconsin để chiêm ngưỡng địa điểm này.

Mặc dù ngôi nhà không bao giờ được mua, chiếc xe của Gein  đã được bán cho một người điều hành lễ hội tên là Bunny Gibbons với giá 760 đô la.  Gibbons đã lái chiếc xe đi khắp vùng Trung Tây, tính phí 25 xu để xem “Chiếc xe ma cà rồng của Ed Gein”.