In 1940, when Ed was 33 years old, his dad died of heart failure. After this, he and his brother, Henry, started doing odd jobs around the town — including babysitting and being handymen — to help with living expenses, and were generally well-regarded within the community. 

However, the brothers’ relationship is said to have fractured due to Ed’s close relationship with their mom. According to Ed Gein biographer Alex Flaster, Ed was obsessed with Augusta, and Henry was concerned about his attachment to her, and would speak ill of her around him.

In May 1944, a fire broke out at the Gein’s farm, and a then-43-year-old Henry was reported missing. His dead body was found by a search party, but his cause of death was attributed to heart failure, as he had not been burned by the fire or otherwise injured. Biographer Harold Schechter later reported that Henry had bruises on his head, but police dismissed the possibility of foul play.

The county’s coroner ended up listing asphyxiation as Henry’s cause of death, but a full autopsy was never carried out.