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OAK HILL, WV (SWVO) – From 1962 to 1964, a mysterious figure known as the “Mad Butcher” cast a dark shadow over southern West Virginia in Fayette County.
In those years, seven men disappeared without a trace.
The region remained uneasy, but true panic didn’t erupt until December 1962, when the first of several grisly discoveries—scattered human remains—shocked the community.
The first known victim in the case of the Mad Butcher of Fayette County was 74-year-old Ernest Gwinn, a retired railroad brakeman who vanished without a trace in the summer of 1962.
Gwinn, originally from Summers County, had been living a quiet life at the Virginian Hotel on Main Street in Oak Hill following the death of his wife.
He was well-known in the community and often dined at the nearby Four Minute Lunch, where he was seen on the evening of July 3, 1962, after cashing his pension check and paying his rent.
Witnesses said Gwinn appeared to be in good spirits that night, chatting with other patrons and enjoying a few beers before heading out. Several people reported seeing him greeting acquaintances on the street as he made his way home.
When he failed to return to the diner the next day, the proprietor—who also served as his landlord—grew concerned.
A newspaper article from Monday, July 9, 1962, states that Gwinn was last seen at the Oak Hill Veterans of Foreign Wars Club.
Believing Gwinn had possibly traveled to visit one of his sons for the holiday, the landlord allowed a worker into his room to carry out some minor repairs, expecting Gwinn would return soon. But he never did.
On July 6, after learning their father had not been seen in days, Gwinn’s sons contacted the West Virginia State Police to report him missing.
On May 28, 1963, a skull with a bullet hole was found in the area, officials believed it to belong to Gwinn, but it was never confirmed.
His disappearance would later be linked to a series of grisly murders attributed to an unidentified serial killer who came to be known as the “Mad Butcher of Fayette County.”
Gwinn stood 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighed about 170 pounds—details that would later become significant as investigators searched for clues in a case that still remains unsolved.
So, what do you think? Was this the first victim of an alleged serial killer? Let us know on our Facebook page at ‘Southern West Virginia Online.’
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