Ed Gein's horror murder count explained as brother's cause of death sparks mystery

A new true crime drama from the writer behind Netflix's Jeffrey Dahmer story has left viewers sickened and puzzled.

The latest show from acclaimed director Ryan Murphy follows the terrifying story of Ed Gein, the man who became one of 'the mostgrotesque killersin US history' after going on a killing and body snatching spree in 1950s Wisconsin.

The latest instalment in Murphy's 'Monster' series - which also covers The Lyle and Erik Menendez story - delves into the mind of the infamous killer for the first time, but plenty of questions remain unanswered.

Depraved Gein became known as The Butcher of Plainfield, with his depraved crimes inspiring fictional monsters including Hitchcock's Psycho and The Silence of The Lambs killer Buffalo Bill.

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The killer - who rarely left home and lived alone in a remote Plainfield property he once shared with his family – went undetected for several years before the disappearance of a local woman in 1957 alerted police officers, leading them to discover his horrific secrets.

Inside the house, authorities discovered bowls made out of skulls, masks made from skin peeled off human faces, and a skull and "face mask" later confirmed to belong to one of Gein's victims - 54-year-old local tavern owner Mary Hogan.

Gein was arrested for the murder of Mary and another 58-year-old woman called Bernice Worden. The twisted murderer, who was 51 at the time, confessed to both killings.

Bernice's head was found in Gein's property, decapitated and disembowelled. The victims are described as having resembled Gein's mother.

While Gein's horrific crimes against women are relatively well-known, the mystery surrounding his brother's death has left Netflix fans desperate for more answers.

In the first episode of new show, viewers see Gein brutally attacking his elder brother Henry (Hudson Oz) - hitting him in the head with a piece of wood and later blaming a fire when police are called.

Viewers see no fire and officials remark on bruises on the body. Henry appears to be the killer's first victim in the show, but Gein was never convicted of Henry's death- so what really happened?

Edward Theodore Gein was born Aug. 27, 1906, the second son of George Gein and Augusta Gein - who, according to Harold Schechter's 1989 book Deviant, had been hoping for a girl.

George Gein was said to be an alcoholic and beat both his sons. He died of heart failure on April 1, 1940, at the age of 66. After their father's death, Ed and his brother Henry took over the running of the farm, as well as working odd jobs in the community, including as handymen.

His elder brother Henry became increasingly concerned that Ed had an unhealthy attachment to their fanatically religious mother Augusta and Henry was the more well-adjusted of the two brothers.

Henry then began dating a divorced mother of two and planned to move in with her. In May 1944, the pair set out to burn marsh vegetation away from thefamily property – a common farming practice at the time.

However the local fire department had to be called to help contain it. After the fire was put out, Ed reported Henry, 43 missing.

His body was later found lying face down on the grounds of the property. Reports from the time say he had not been burnt and he appeared to have been dead for some time.

His official cause of death was asphyxiation leading to heart failure - due to the smoke from the fire.

Later reporting on the incident, biographer Harold Schechter claimed that Henry was found with bruises on his head. In Deviant: The Shocking True Story of the Original 'Psycho', Schechter wrote that police initially dismissed the idea of foul play.

Henry had also seemingly been dead for some time when he was found, leading Schechter to believe Ed may have been involved. The men's mother Augusta suffered a massive stroke and died a year later.

The gruesome murders raised suspicion that Ed played a role in Henry's death, which he always denied.

Gein pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity and determined unfit to stand trial. He was sent to Central State Hospital for the Criminally Insane (part of what is now the Dodge Correctional Institution) in Waupun and later transferred to the Mendota Mental Health Institute in Madison.

In subsequent interviews, Gein continued to deny any involvement in his brother's death, right up until he died from lung cancer in a psychiatric hospital on July 26, 1984, at the age of 77.