Adeline Watkins: The Truth Behind Ed Gein’s Rumored Girlfriend
Adeline Watkins once claimed Ed Gein proposed to her two years before his arrest — a bombshell she later retracted.
Netflix just dropped its latest Monster chapter, and this one dives into the real-life nightmare fuel: Ed Gein. Yes, the 1950s Wisconsin murderer and grave-robber whose crimes helped inspire Psycho, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and The Silence of the Lambs. Monster: The Ed Gein Story is the third entry in Ryan Murphy’s crime anthology, and it does not shy away from the grisly details. But the thing that will probably blindsid you isn’t only the horror. It’s the show’s take on Adeline Watkins — a woman who, in the series, keeps seeing Gein even after he shows her a victim.
So, about that girlfriend storyline
In episode 1, the series portrays Adeline Watkins (played by Suzanna Son) in a relationship with Gein. At one point, he presents her with a strung-up, nude, eviscerated body. She’s shocked — as any human would be — and then she continues dating him. It’s a wild swing, and it’s going to get people talking.
Who Adeline Watkins actually was
Adeline Watkins was a real person living in Plainfield, Wisconsin. She shared an apartment with her widowed mother. After Gein was arrested in 1957, Watkins — who was 50 at the time, notably older than she appears in the show — told the Minneapolis Tribune she had been involved with him for more than two decades. Her mother backed her up. She described Gein in terms that are jarring if you know what he did.
He was good and kind and sweet.
Watkins said they bonded over books and obsessively talked about true-crime stories in the news.
I guess we discussed every murder we ever heard about. Eddie told me how the murderer did wrong, what mistakes he had made. I thought it was interesting.
She also claimed their last meeting was February 6, 1955 — more than two years before his arrest — when Gein proposed. She said she turned him down, not because there was anything wrong with him, but because she didn’t feel she could live up to what he expected.
Then the story flipped
Her interview made headlines everywhere. Two weeks later, Watkins walked it back. She told the Stevens Point Journal the whole thing was blown out of proportion and included untrue statements, and she clarified that she and Gein dated for less than a year. Gein himself never publicly acknowledged any relationship with her. He died in 1984.
If you want the quick timeline
- 1907: Adeline Watkins is born.
- February 6, 1955: By her account, last meeting with Gein; he proposes, she declines.
- 1957: Gein is arrested; a 50-year-old Watkins tells the Minneapolis Tribune they had a 20+ year relationship; her mother corroborates.
- Within two weeks: Watkins retracts, saying the story was exaggerated and contained untrue statements; says they dated less than a year.
- 1984: Gein dies; he never publicly acknowledges Watkins.
Where did she go?
Details are scarce after the Gein case. Given that Watkins was born in 1907, it’s likely she is no longer alive. That’s about as much as anyone can say with confidence.
A quick note on the show’s tone and the horror legacy
Gein’s crimes are the blueprint for some of horror’s most infamous villains, and the series leans into how grotesque his world was. The Adeline storyline is the curveball — part sensational, part inside-baseball look at how chaotic and contradictory the 1950s media coverage around Gein could be.
Where to watch
Monster: The Ed Gein Story is now streaming on Netflix. In the UK, plans start at £5.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.