Nearly 70 years after Ed Gein’s gruesome crimes were uncovered, one name has come up again: Adeline Watkins, all thanks to the ‘Monster‘ series on Netflix. Long before Gein became known as the Butcher of Plainfield, Adeline claimed he’d once asked for her hand in marriage.
Though Adeline initially started by painting a gentler picture of the man who would later inspire “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”, he wasn’t a monster to her. In fact, she revealed he was “good and kind,” but just days after making her shocking confession, Adeline took it all back. So, why the sudden change of heart? And how close was she really to Ed Gein?
A Shocking Confession In America’s Ed Gein Chapter
When police arrested Ed Gein in 1957, they stumbled upon a horror unlike anything they’d seen before. Inside his Plainfield, Wisconsin, farmhouse were human remains turned into household objects; lampshades, masks, even furniture. His crimes would go on to inspire decades of nightmares and Hollywood thrillers.
But amid the chaos, Adeline Watkins, a 50-year-old woman who lived in the same small town, made a shocking confession. In an interview with the Minneapolis Tribune, she claimed she had dated Gein for twenty years. As expected, her words stunned readers across the country.
According to Adeline, their romance was simple and sweet. “He was good and sweet and kind, I would almost have to drag Eddie into a tavern“, she said, describing movie nights, long talks, and milkshakes instead of drinks. “I would almost have to drag Eddie into a tavern,” she joked. Her mother even vouched for him, calling him “a polite man” who always brought Adeline home on time.
They bonded over books and often talked about faraway places, Africa, India, and the wild animals Gein loved reading about. In one eerie detail, Adeline admitted they sometimes discussed real-life murders. Gein, she said, would analyze how killers made mistakes. It all sounded harmless enough then, until the truth came out.
Still, Adeline’s most surprising revelation was that Gein had proposed to her. She told reporters, “I turned him down, not because there was anything wrong with him, but something was wrong with me. I guess I was afraid I wouldn’t live up to what he expected.” She added softly, “I loved him, and I still do.” But the fairytale was short-lived. Within days, Adeline’s story began to show true colors.
Adeline Watkins’ Retraction Changed Everything
As her story made national headlines, Adeline’s sudden fame took a toll on her. Newspapers printed her photo, reporters camped outside her home, and Plainfield buzzed with gossip. Then, just a few days later, she changed her story entirely.
In a call to the editor of the Plainfield Sun, Adeline denied ever being Gein’s sweetheart. She said, “There was no 20-year romance,” and, instead, she described their connection as a friendship, like casual visits, occasional movie outings, and polite conversations. Nothing more.
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She also pushed back on some of the details attributed to her. Adeline insisted she’d never called him “sweet” or claimed she had to “drag him into a tavern.” But she did stand by her earlier impression of Gein as a quiet, polite man, and admitted she felt sorry for him.
The retraction left everyone confused. Was she pressured to stay quiet? Misquoted by reporters? Or simply overwhelmed by the attention? Whatever the truth, the mysterious “girlfriend of Ed Gein” faded as quickly as she had appeared, leaving more questions than answers.
Decades later, Adeline’s strange connection to Gein has resurfaced thanks to ‘Monster: The Ed Gein Story,’ the third chapter in Ryan Murphy’s anthology series. The show revisits Gein’s horrific past and the curious woman who once described him as “so nice.” In the series, Adeline is portrayed by The Idol star Suzanna Son, who called the role “a dream come true.” She added, “I feel like I’m the luckiest girl in the world,” she told Women’s Wear Daily. Son said she was drawn to the character for reasons she couldn’t fully explain, only that she “followed the feeling.”
Even now, there’s still one question: Did Adeline Watkins really love Ed Gein? Or, did she fall for the illusion of the man he pretended to be?
