OAK HILL, WV (LOOTPRESS) – The 1960s were a time of great fear in Fayette County. A suspected serial killer known as the “Mad Butcher” was on the loose.
The victims’ bodies were often mutilated and dismembered, and their remains were found scattered throughout the county. The Mad Butcher was never caught, and his or her identity remains a mystery to this day.
The case of the Mad Butcher is one of the most infamous unsolved murders in West Virginia history. It has captured the imagination of the public for decades, and there have been numerous books, articles, and podcasts made about the case.
Today, we will dive into the details of the ‘Mad Butcher’ starting with the first of seven men assumed to be victims of the gruesome serial killer.
Many believe that Bob Mack Agee was the first true victim of the ‘Mad Butcher’ who disappeared in February of 1962. He was attending electrical school in Chicago and came home West Virginia to see his mother in a nursing home.
It is believed he was hitchhiking back to Kingston one evening while returning from the nursing home but he was never seen again.
But the first man found in the condition similar to the gruesome murders that were to come was a man born on a warm summer day in 1887. Ernest Gwinn came into this world in the picturesque town of Summers, West Virginia.
As fate would have it, he found his life’s companion, Mary Josephine Nichols, and they exchanged vows on a lovely July 1, 1912, when Ernest was a young man of 25.
Together, they embraced parenthood, welcoming two cherished children, Burnis and Nicholas Gwinn.
Time passed, and Ernest faced the loss of his beloved Mary, becoming a widower and finding solace in a humble room at the Virginian Hotel, situated on the quaint Main Street in Oak Hill.
Retirement beckoned him from his days of working as a brakeman for the railway, and he settled into a tranquil existence.
Ernest, a man of small stature, standing at 5’9″, and weighing around 170 lbs, led a simple life. On one eventful evening, the 3rd of July in 1962, after cashing his pension check and dutifully paying his rent, Ernest headed to the familiar Four Minute Lunch, his favorite spot for meals.
There, he engaged in lively conversations with fellow patrons, enjoying several beers before bidding adieu and setting off for home. Witnesses recalled seeing him exchange warm greetings with acquaintances along his way.
The following day, when Ernest didn’t appear at the diner as expected, the concerned proprietor (also his landlord) arranged for an apartment inspection, believing Ernest had ventured out of town to visit his sons, and this would be a pleasant surprise for him.
However, to their dismay, Ernest Gwinn never returned.
Three days later, on July 6, 1962, his sons, worried by the lack of contact, took action and notified the State Police about their father’s puzzling disappearance. Witnesses came forward, asserting that Ernest had visited the Veterans Foreign Affairs Club that night, accompanied by three men.
However, the club’s proprietor contradicted this account, denying that Ernest had been at his establishment on that particular evening.
Law enforcement dedicated themselves to the investigation, suspecting a potential robbery gone awry as the reason behind Ernest’s vanishing. Despite their efforts, no trace of him or any leads emerged until the infamous butcher murders began.
It was in the spring of 1963, specifically May when railroad workers stumbled upon a skull bearing a tragic bullet hole. They believed it belonged to Ernest Gwinn, though due to the limited remains, determining the exact age was a challenge.
However, the time of death was estimated to be approximately ten months prior, aligning with Ernest’s disappearance.
Adding to the potential identification were the extracted teeth, a detail shared with Ernest, but alas, official confirmation proved elusive, as his dentist had disposed of the records before they could be utilized.
So, was the suspected murder of Ernest Gwinn connected to a future line of serial killings that would soon send Fayette County and the surrounding area into a frenzy?
Next, we will discuss the second suspected victim of the “Mad Butcher of Fayette County,” Sammy Smith.