He developed an obsession with what he referred to as his “fiddlesticks” after hearing the sounds of the bones. Continuing his exploration, he looked for bones and even dissected live creatures to examine their skeletons.
His passion grew when the family relocated to Bath Township, Ohio. In a cottage next to their forested land, he started gathering big insects and tiny animal skeletons, some of which were preserved in formaldehyde jars.
His father, presuming it was scientific interest, showed him how to clean and preserve bones, skills the youngster immediately acquired.
Escalating obsession
The fascination quickly became more intense. He began collecting roadkill, preparing animals for burial, and dissecting them close to his hut. He occasionally positioned skulls on improvised crosses.
He began drinking excessively at the age of 14, concealing alcohol in his jacket and referring to it as “my medicine.” A bitter divorce resulted from the breakdown of his parents’ marriage. His mother and younger brother had left the family home by the time he graduated in May 1978, leaving the 18-year-old alone.
By age 15, he had decapitated a dog, fastened its body to a tree, and impaled its skull on a pole. He gained notoriety in high school for pulling odd practical jokes, bleating, and pretending to have seizures in order to attract attention.
He started imitating the halting speech and ungainly gestures of a man with cerebral palsy, for instance, who he said his mother had previously employed as an interior decorator. Some thought it was strange conduct, even cruelty, but others thought he was really humorous, especially his adolescent peers who didn’t notice the tastelessness. Their laughing seemed to fuel him.
He would make odd bleating noises just out of the teacher’s earshot, stare through windows from outside the building, or stutter past open classroom doors during class.
“He would bleat like a sheep,” recalled former friend and classmate John Backderf.
