Who was Adeline Watkins? All about Ed Gein’s rumored girlfriend, shown in Monster: The Ed Gein Story

In late 1957, not long after Wisconsin farmer Edward Gein's arrest stunned the nation, a woman named Adeline Watkins appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Gein, also called the Butcher of Plainfield, admitted killing two women, Mary Hogan in 1954 and Bernice Worden in 1957.

He admitted stealing from the graves of at least nine others to fashion objects from their body parts, including masks, furniture, and clothes. His deeds, observed on his secluded farm, showed a dwelling full of human flesh and were an inspiration to horror characters like Norman Bates in Psycho.

In the midst of horror, Adeline Watkins, a 50-year-old Plainfield man, appeared in a Minneapolis Tribune interview, reporting a 20-year affair with Gein. She called him "good and kind and sweet." She recounted dates at the movies and taverns, and said he asked her to marry on February 6, 1955. She agreed at first, but later worried she couldn't measure up.

She explained they had known each other for 20 years, but only went on and off again for seven months in 1954. She never went into his house and found him quiet and courteous, but not romantic. Gein never spoke about her publicly. Adeline Watkins was an actual neighbor whose short association with Gein was the cause of media hype, combining reality with hyperbole.

In Netflix’s Monster: The Ed Gein Story, season 3 of Ryan Murphy’s true-crime anthology series, Suzanna Son plays Adeline Watkins, Gein’s friend and kindred spirit, while Charlie Hunnam plays the role of Ed Gein. The eight-episode series is only available on Netflix, and all episodes have been out since October 3, 2025.

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Adeline Watkins' background and connection to Ed Gein

A still from Monster: The Ed Gein Story(Image via Netflix)

Adeline Watkins lived a quiet life in Plainfield, Wisconsin, a small rural town where neighbors knew each other but kept to themselves. According to People, Watkins was born around 1907 and was 50 years old when Gein's crimes surfaced. She shared a small apartment with her mother, Enid Watkins, who later described Gein as a "sweet, polite man" who always ensured Adeline returned home by her 10 pm curfew, per People.

Though details are scarce, Adeline Watkins worked ordinary jobs and maintained a low profile until the national spotlight hit after Gein's arrest on November 16, 1957, as reported by Marie Claire. Records show Watkins and Gein first crossed paths in the early 1930s through community ties in Plainfield, per Marie Claire. They shared interests in reading, with Gein favoring geography magazines about lions, tigers, Africa, and India, while Watkins enjoyed broader literature and newspaper accounts of crimes, according to People.

Marie Claire noted that this common ground led to casual conversations that evolved into occasional outings starting around 1954. Their dates were simple: trips to local movie theaters or stops at nearby taverns, where Watkins drank beer and Gein opted for milkshakes, showing little interest in alcohol, per People. She once noted having to encourage him to enter taverns, highlighting his reserved nature, as the People reported.

Gein, then 51, was a handyman and babysitter known locally as awkward but harmless, according to Biography.com. Watkins saw him as a gentleman who opened doors and spoke softly, per Marie Claire. Marie Claire reported that their interactions remained surface-level, focused on shared hobbies rather than deep personal revelations. She emphasized they never visited his isolated farm, where his dark secrets hid, according to Marie Claire.

Historical accounts from 1957 newspapers confirm Watkins knew Gein for two decades but only grew closer briefly in 1954, aligning with her later clarifications, per Marie Claire. This period coincided with Gein's escalating grave-robbing, though she claimed no awareness of it, as noted by Marie Claire. According to People, her mother corroborated the polite image, recalling Gein's respectfulness.

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The media frenzy and conflicting statements

A still of Charlie Hunnam from Monster: The Ed Gein Story (Image via Netflix )

The discovery of Bernice Worden's body on Gein's property unleashed a media storm, with reporters scouring Plainfield for insights into the reclusive killer, according to Biography.com. On November 21, 1957, the Wisconsin State Journal published a syndicated story from the Minneapolis Tribune, headlined "Plainfield Woman Nearly Wedded Gein," per People. People reported that it featured Adeline Watkins' interview and a photo of her, catapulting her into headlines.

She described a 20-year courtship, painting Gein as her ideal partner: intelligent, kind, and devoted, according to People. Adeline Watkins recounted their final date on February 6, 1955, when Gein proposed marriage.

"I accepted, but later I got cold feet," she said

She said this, fearing not meeting his expectations, as per People. People further reported that even after his confession, she added,

"I loved him and I still do,".

According to People, the article detailed cozy evenings discussing books and crime tales, positioning Adeline Watkins as Gein's emotional anchor amid his loneliness. It suggested she rejected the proposal, not due to flaws in him but her own doubts, and portrayed their bond as a tragic romance overshadowed by his crimes, per People. National outlets picked up the story, blending it with Gein's horrors to create a narrative of forbidden love, Marie Claire noted.

Netflix MONSTER: The Ed Gein Story Genre/SAG Nom Comm Screening -(Image via Getty)

Adeline Watkins’ words contrasted sharply with the evidence on his farm, including human-skin lampshades, skull bedposts, and preserved organs. According to Biography.com, the discoveries fueled debates about how such a man could have maintained a secret relationship. However, the frenzy prompted quick backlash.

On December 5, 1957, Watkins spoke to the Stevens Point Journal, retracting key claims, per Marie Claire.

"The story was exaggerated and blown up out of proportion," she stated

She denied romantic feelings and called parts "untrue statements," according to Marie Claire.

She clarified that she had known Gein for 20 years but had been dating only seven months intermittently in 1954, with no visits to his home, Marie Claire reported. As per Marie Claire, Adeline Watkins stood by describing him as "quiet and polite," but rejected terms like "sweet" or tales of dragging him to taverns. She expressed pity for him instead, as noted by Marie Claire. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Gein remained silent on the matter during interrogations.

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Portrayal in Monster: The Ed Gein Story and lasting legacy

A still of Suzanna Son from Monster: The Ed Gein Story (Image via Netflix)

Netflix's Monster: The Ed Gein Story amplifies Watkins' role, making her a pivotal character in Gein's psychological descent, according to Netflix Tudum. Played by Suzanna Son, Adeline Watkins appears early as a young neighbor feeling trapped like Gein, evolving into his confidante and partner in darkness, per Netflix Tudum.

The series depicts a decades-long romance where she joins grave-robbing trips and introduces him to Ilse Koch, the Nazi "Bitch of Buchenwald" infamous for human-skin artifacts, inspiring Gein's creations, as noted by Netflix Tudum.

They discuss marriage, with Adeline Watkins accepting his proposal, blurring lines between ally and fantasy, according to Netflix Tudum. Co-creator Ian Brennan noted her as "as disturbed as Ed," sharing macabre ideas that "you can’t unsee," per Variety. Robin Weigert portrays her mother, Enid, adding family tension, according to Netflix Tudum. Charlie Hunnam, as Gein, views Adeline partly as his imagination's product, per Variety.

Creators considered revealing her as fictional but kept her real to preserve emotional depth, acknowledging thin historical records, Variety reported. This dramatization contrasts with real events, where Adeline Watkins was older, their link brief, and no crime involvement was evident, per Marie Claire. The show uses her to explore Gein's isolation and obsessions, tying into themes of truth versus myth, according to Netflix Tudum. Post-1957, Watkins faded from view, avoiding further publicity, Marie Claire noted.

Her death date remains unrecorded in public sources, but she lived privately, her story reduced to footnotes in true-crime books like Ed Gein: Psycho, per Marie Claire. According to Marie Claire, Adeline Watkins' legacy endures as a cautionary tale of media distortion. Her initial claims humanized Gein briefly, challenging his monster image, while retractions underscored interview pressures, per Marie Claire.

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Edited by Toshali Kritika