Who Was Adeline Watkins?
Adeline Watkins. Now, that’s a name that’s stirred up a lot of chat, especially with Netflix’s latest true crime dive, Monster: The Ed Gein Story. She shows up in the series as the “girlfriend” to Ed Gein, the infamous murderer who inspired everything from Psycho to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. But who was she, really? Did she egg Gein on, or is this just another story twisted by time (and a bit by Hollywood)? Grab your coffeelet’s untangle what’s fact and what’s Netflix with some old-school storytelling.
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Plainfield, Wisconsin, in the ‘50s. Adeline Watkins, 50-something, living with her widowed mom, suddenly gets national attention after Ed Gein’s arrest. Days after the news breaks, she tells the Minneapolis Tribune she dated Ed for wait for it about 20 years. They went to movies, gossiped over milkshakes in a drugstore, and talked crime stories in the paper. She painted Ed as “good and sweet,” and even claimed the guy almost proposed (not in so many words, classic old-school Midwest romance).
But hold up. In a classic plot twist, weeks later, she tells a different paper that, actually, the romance story is kind of a stretch. According to her, she and Ed dated less than a year movie nights, a tavern here and there, nothing wild. No mention of body snatching, no dark adventures. She insisted, really, they were more like casual friends than doomed lovers. So, which version’s the truth? The series plays up the drama, but the real Adeline seems to have distanced herself from Gein soon after her first story hit the press.
Did Ed Gein Kill His Girlfriend in Episode 2?
Let’s get to episode 2, because people are seriously wondering: Did Gein kill Adeline Watkins? In the Netflix show, there’s definitely some intense, dark stuff. Watkins is portrayed as complicit or at least fascinated by Gein’s macabre interests. The show has them grave robbing together, like it’s a normal Saturday night out.
But here’s the reality check: There’s zero evidence Gein killed Watkins. Actually, Watkins was never one of Ed’s real-life victims; the confirmed cases are Mary Hogan and Bernice Worden. The idea of Gein killing his girlfriend is total fiction. Netflix takes creative leaps for drama, sure, but Adeline survived her encounters with Ed (and ghosted the relationship before the true horror unfolded).
Monster: The Ed Gein Story
The Netflix series loves a twisted relationship, but most of the Adeline-Gein romance is exaggerated for shock value. In real life, Adeline says she and Gein talked about crimes in the news, even what murderers did wrong (which, let’s be honest, is creepy coffee shop chat). But she later walked back the claims about a decades-long love affair, or being close to his crimes. There’s simply nothing solid linking her to his killings, nor was she some partner-in-crime as shown on TV.
Below is an official trailer for Monster: The Ed Gein Story"
Where Is Ed Gein’s Girlfriend Now?
Honestly? This part’s a bit sad and mysterious. After all that buzz in 1957, Adeline Watkins disappeared from the limelight. She was born in 1907, so she’d be well over a hundred now, so it’s safe to say she’s no longer alive. Records after those whirlwind interviews are basically nonexistent. Once the press moved on and the Gein story faded into horror legend, Adeline probably went back to a quiet life in Wisconsin, away from the cameras, and maybe even a little regretful she ever said a word.
Disclaimer:
This article discusses characters and events depicted in Netflix’s "Monster: The Ed Gein Story," which is a dramatized interpretation based on real-life events. Some aspects of Adeline Watkins' life and relationship with Ed Gein have been fictionalized for entertainment purposes.
