Most likely, they exchanged polite grunts. “Pass the salt.” “Your brother’s a weirdo.” The usual farm stuff.
But here’s a wild theory: Some true-crime nuts wonder if Ilse encouraged Ed’s dark side. As a way to get rid of Henry? It’s a juicy thought, but there’s zero evidence.
Ilse didn’t even stick around for Ed’s arrest. By the time police found the mess in his house (1957), she was long gone. Living a normal life in another state.
The Quirky, Unanswerable Fun
That’s what makes this topic so delicious. We don’t know! The silence is the punchline. Two people, stuck on a farm, one a serial grave robber, the other a bored housewife.
Inside real history of Ilse Koch as Netflix Ed Gein series features
Did Ed ever show Ilse his “projects”? Did she ever scream “WHAT IS THAT HUMAN LIPSTICK?!” We can only imagine.
And imagine we must. Because the official records are a black hole. Ilse Gein died in 1971, taking any secrets to her grave.
