Plainfield, Wisconsin, is a quiet place. Or at least, it was supposed to be. On a freezing November morning in 1957, the town’s collective sense of safety didn’t just crack—it shattered. Most people know the name Ed Gein. They know the "Butcher of Plainfield" and the horrors found in his farmhouse. But the guy who actually cracked the case? That was Bernice Worden son, Frank Worden.
Frank wasn't just a grieving son; he was a Deputy Sheriff. Imagine that for a second. You come home from a deer hunting trip, walk into your mother's hardware store, and find nothing but a pool of blood and an empty cash register. Honestly, most people would collapse. Frank didn't. He looked at the floor, saw a receipt for antifreeze, and knew exactly who had been there.
Bernice Worden Son: The Man Who Caught a Monster
The connection between Frank Worden and Ed Gein wasn't just professional. It was weirdly personal. Gein had been hanging around Worden’s Hardware for a week. He wasn't there for tools. He was there to talk to Frank. He kept asking Frank when he was going deer hunting.
Think about that. The man was literally scheduling a murder around the deputy's hunting trip.
When Frank returned on November 16, 1957, the store was locked. He had to break in. Inside, he found a blood trail leading out the back door. But the most important piece of evidence was sitting right there on the counter: a sales slip. It was for a gallon of antifreeze. The name on the slip? Ed Gein.
Frank didn't hesitate. He told Sheriff Art Schley that Gein was their man. While the sheriff headed to the Gein farm, Frank actually tracked Ed down at a local grocery store in West Plainfield. Gein was just sitting there, finishing up his supper like nothing had happened. When Frank confronted him, Gein supposedly joked, "I didn't have anything to do with it."
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Talk about a red flag.
What Frank Worden Found at the Farm
While Frank held Gein, other officers entered the farmhouse. They didn't have electricity, so they were using flashlights. What they found in the summer kitchen—a shed attached to the house—is the stuff of nightmares. They found Bernice Worden.
She had been "dressed out" like a deer.
It's a detail that still turns stomachs today. Because it was the first day of deer season, Gein had used his hunting "skills" on a human being. Frank had to live with the knowledge that his mother—the woman who ran the local hardware store and was a pillar of the community—had been treated like livestock by a man he’d chatted with just days prior.
Life After the Horror
People often ask what happened to Bernice Worden son after the trial. It’s a valid question. How do you go back to being a deputy in a town where everyone knows your mother's face was found in a box?
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Frank Worden stayed. He didn't run away. He continued his work in law enforcement, which is honestly incredible given the trauma. He was a key witness in Gein’s trials—both the initial 1957 hearing where Gein was found unfit, and the 1968 trial where he was finally convicted.
Some facts about Frank’s life after the case:
- He remained a respected figure in Waushara County.
- He had to deal with the "dark tourism" that plagued Plainfield for decades.
- He was often the one people turned to when they wanted the real story, though he rarely gave interviews.
The Gein farm burned down in 1958. Most people think it was arson, and frankly, nobody in town was crying about it. It was a "purification" of sorts. Frank was there for that, too. He saw the physical reminder of his mother's death turn to ash.
Misconceptions About the Worden Family
There’s this weird trend in true crime where people forget the victims had lives. Bernice Worden wasn't just a name in a police report. She was a 58-year-old widow who had taken over the family business. She was tough, independent, and loved by her son.
Frank wasn't just a bystander. Without his quick thinking and his memory of Gein’s odd questions about his hunting trip, Gein might have gone on for years. Remember, police found the remains of at least ten different women in that house. Gein had been robbing graves since 1947.
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The Legacy of Frank Worden
If you look at the pop culture inspired by this case—Psycho, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, The Silence of the Lambs—the focus is always on the killer. We’ve turned Ed Gein into a dark legend. But the reality is that the story ended because a local deputy knew his community well enough to spot a liar.
Frank Worden died in 1982. He lived long enough to see Gein grow old in a mental institution. He lived long enough to see his town try to move on.
Actionable Insights for True Crime Researchers
If you’re looking into the legacy of the Worden family or the Plainfield case, keep these things in mind:
- Check local archives: The Stevens Point Journal and the Waushara Argus have the most accurate day-by-day accounts from the 1950s.
- Separate film from fact: Gein was not a "slasher" in the movie sense. He was a grave robber who turned to murder twice. Frank Worden’s testimony is what separates the myths from the reality of the crimes.
- Respect the site: Plainfield is still a living town. The cemetery where both Bernice Worden and Ed Gein (and his mother) are buried is a place of rest, not a tourist attraction.
The story of Bernice Worden son is ultimately one of resilience. It’s about a man who did his job under the most horrific circumstances imaginable and stayed to help his community heal. He wasn't a character in a movie; he was a son who lost his mother and decided to make sure the man responsible never hurt anyone else again.