The serial killer reportedly wanted to &34;become&34; his mother. Who was Augusta Gein? How the mother of Monster Ed Gein shaped the killer's life

The serial killer reportedly wanted to "become" his mother.

Who was Augusta Gein? How the mother of Monster Ed Gein shaped the killer's life

The serial killer reportedly wanted to "become" his mother.

By Allison DeGrushe

Allison DeGrushe

Allison DeGrushe is a timely SEO writer at **. She has been working at * *since 2025. Her work has previously appeared on Distractify.

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October 8, 2025 11:26 a.m. ET

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Laurie Metcalf as Augusta Gein on 'Monster: The Ed Gein Story'. Credit:

Courtesy Of Netflix

- Famed killer Ed Gein had an unhealthy attachment to his mother, Augusta Gein.

- After his arrest, Gein told police he murdered two women because they resembled his late mother.

- Laurie Metcalf portrays Augusta on Netflix's *Monster: The Ed Gein Story*.

*Monster: The Ed Gein Story *is Netflix's latest attempt at peeking into the mind of a killer.

The anthology's third season, which premiered on Oct. 3, stars Charlie Hunnam as Gein, the famed "Butcher of Plainfield," and takes true crime fans on a journey through his life and the heinous deeds that led to his arrest in 1957.

The season also looks at the psychological factors that may have contributed to and influenced Gein's violent actions, such as his alleged obsession with Nazi war criminals and his dysfunctional relationship with his mother, Augusta (Laurie Metcalf).

Here's a closer look at Gein's real-life childhood and his relationship with his mother, Augusta Gein.

Who was Augusta Gein?

Laurie Metcalf as Augusta Gein and Charlie Hunnam as Ed Gein on 'Monster: The Ed Gein Story'.

Augusta Wilhelmine Gein was born on July 21, 1878, in La Crosse, Wis. In 1900, she married George Philip Gein, and together, they had two children: Henry George Gein and Edward Theodore Gein, the latter of whom went on to become one of America's most notorious killers.

In the 1910s, the Geins left La Crosse for a more isolated life on a farm in Plainfield. It was there that Augusta, a fervent Christian, dominated the household. As TIME put it in the months following Ed's arrest, Augusta was "the undisputed head of the family," raising her sons with strict religious beliefs that shaped every aspect of their lives.

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Augusta is said to have held extreme views regarding women, having reportedly told her sons about the dangers of "modern women." TIME alleged that Augusta claimed a great flood, not unlike the one in the Book of Genesis, would come to "wash out women's sins."

Forensic psychiatrist Carole Lieberman told A&E Crime + Investigation that Augusta deliberately cut her boys off from the outside world, telling them that alcohol and romantic relationships with women "would lead them down a path of immorality." This isolated upbringing, Lieberman explained, fostered a strong emotional dependence in Ed.

Still, despite her harsh treatment, he idolized his mother. As he grew up, Ed developed a deep hatred toward women and avoided dating them, per TIME.

What happened to Augusta Gein?

Ed Gein in court.

Bettmann Archive/Getty

After the deaths of George and Henry in 1940 and 1944, respectively, Ed became Augusta's caregiver as her health declined. According to *USA Today*, she died in 1945 from a stroke, her second. Per the outlet, her second stroke occurred after she saw a neighbor with a woman who wasn't his wife.

Ed went on to preserve his mother's memory by blocking off her bedroom. Years later, authorities were shocked to find her room in pristine condition while the rest of the home was covered in filth.

"When you look at the crime scene photos, his house was an absolute disaster," Louis Schlesinger, a psychology professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, told A&E Crime + Investigation. "But his mother's room was immaculate, just as it was when she died."

For the next 12 years, Ed made frequent visits to local cemeteries, where he stole the bodies of recently deceased women. He also murdered two women — 51-year-old Mary Hogan and 58-year-old Bernice Worden — who he later admitted to police reminded him of Augusta.**

He used the human remains to build furniture and make other household items, but A&E also reported that Ed began stitching together a skin suit in an attempt to "physically recreate his mother" and, in his mind, become her.

"He wanted to crawl into her skin," Lieberman told the outlet. "The body parts he had collected weren't sufficient, so he had to kill these [two] women, according to his confession."

Who portrays Augusta Gein on Monster: The Ed Gein Story?

Charlie Hunnam as Ed Gein and Laurie Metcalf as Augusta Gein on 'Monster: The Ed Gein Story'.

On *Monster: The Ed Gein Story*, Augusta is portrayed by four-time Emmy winner Laurie Metcalf.

The actress is widely known for playing Jackie Harris on *Roseanne *(1988–1997, 2018) and*The Conners* (2018–2025), but fans may also recognize her as the voice of Andy's mom in the *Toy Story franchise *(1995–present), the knife-wielding Mrs. Loomis in* Scream 2* (1997), and Marion McPherson in Greta Gerwig's *Lady Bird* (2017), for which she was nominated for an Oscar.

In a recent interview with *Entertainment Tonight*, Metcalf shared that she and Hunnam worked to uncover a new way to portray Ed and Augusta's toxic dynamic. "The two of us wanted to find another side of the relationship," she said, "so it wouldn't be just a lopsided one."

Where can I watch Monster: The Ed Gein Story?

Charlie Hunnam as Ed Gein on 'Monster: The Ed Gein Story'.

*Monster: The Ed Gein Story* is now streaming on Netflix.

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