Yes, it’s true that Ed Gein, one of America’s most infamous killers, was occasionally hired by his neighbors to look after their children. It’s a disturbing detail that seems to clash with the horrific image of the man later known as the “Butcher of Plainfield.” Historical accounts confirm that after the deaths of his father and brother, Gein and his brother Henry took on odd jobs around town to support themselves, and Gein specifically worked as a handyman and occasionally as a babysitter. He was even considered a reliable and honest worker by others in his Wisconsin community.
This fact becomes a central point in the 2025 Netflix series Monster: The Ed Gein Story, where it is expanded upon and dramatized. The show portrays Gein, played by Charlie Hunnam, taking a babysitting job after his romantic interest, Adeline, suggests it might help him become more comfortable with the idea of having a family. However, the series also uses this element of his life to explore a darker, fictionalized narrative by connecting it to the real-life unsolved disappearance of a teenage babysitter named Evelyn Hartley.
The Real Story Behind Gein’s Babysitting
In reality, Ed Gein’s life was one of profound isolation. After his domineering mother died in 1945, he was left completely alone on the family farm. To earn a living, he took on work as a handyman and, as several biographies note, occasionally babysat for families in the Plainfield area. It was noted that he seemed to relate more easily to children than to adults, which may have been why parents trusted him with their kids. This piece of history is so jarring because it stands in stark contrast to the discoveries made at his farmhouse in 1957.
When police arrested Gein for the murder of hardware store owner Bernice Worden, they uncovered a scene of almost unimaginable horror. His home was filled with human bones and gruesome artifacts crafted from body parts, including furniture upholstered in human skin, skulls mounted on bedposts, and a collection of other morbid trophies. This was the same property where he had lived while being known in the community as a quiet, if odd, man who did odd jobs and even babysat. The juxtaposition of his outward persona and his hidden depravity is a key part of what makes his story so chilling and enduring.
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A Fictional Crime in “Monster”
The new Netflix series takes the known fact of Gein’s babysitting and weaves it into a more direct and dramatic narrative. In the show, a character named Evelyn, played by influencer Addison Rae, is introduced. This character is based on a real person, Evelyn Hartley, a 15-year-old honor student who vanished without a trace in 1953 while babysitting in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
🚨 Addison Rae as Evelyn Hartley in ‘Ed Gein: The Original Monster.” pic.twitter.com/7Zafq37JW0
— Addison Rae Source (@AddisonDiscord) October 3, 2025
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In Monster, the storyline takes a fictional turn. After Gein is fired from a babysitting job for being terrible with children, he becomes obsessed with the idea that Evelyn has stolen the job from him. The series depicts him stalking her, breaking into the house where she is working, and ultimately kidnapping and murdering her in a brutal scene. This plotline was likely inspired by the real-world rumors that tried to link Gein to Hartley’s case after his arrest, as both crimes occurred in Wisconsin within a few years of each other.
However, this specific event is a creative liberty taken by the show’s writers. In real life, despite initial suspicion falling on Gein after his arrest in 1957, investigators found no solid evidence connecting him to Evelyn Hartley’s disappearance. He was questioned about her and other missing persons, and even passed a polygraph test regarding her case. No remains or possessions linked to Hartley were ever found on his property, and her body was never located. The series uses this fictionalized crime to heighten the drama and explore the dark “what if” scenarios that still surround Gein’s legacy.
So, while Ed Gein did indeed babysit children in his community, his direct involvement in the murder of a babysitter belongs to the realm of television drama, not historical fact. The truth is unsettling enough: a man trusted by his neighbors to care for their children was simultaneously leading a secret life of grave robbing and murder.
