WI Victor Travis, Plainfield, 42, November 1, 1952, possible Ed Gein connection

[Keiri]

Date of Last Contact: November 1, 1952
Missing From: Plainfield, Adams County
Age: 42 Years

Nickname: Bunk

Sex: Male

Race: White

Height: 5' 6" - 5' 10" (66 - 70 Inches)
Weight: 150 - 180 lbs
Hair: Brown

Eyes: Hazel

Health: Victor walked with a limp, but it's unknown which leg was deformed.
Vehicle: 1950 Oldsmobile

Case Owner:
Adams County Sheriff's Office
(608) 339-3304

Agency Case Number
52-1101

On November 1, 1952, Victor Travis (Bunk) went hunting with a companion and never returned home. His hunting partner was reportedly from Milwaukee, WI. They stopped to drink at a bar(s) on their way to a piece of property adjacent to Ed Gein's property. Victor's hunting dog, rifle, and clothing were found on this property. Neither Victor or his hunting partner were seen or heard from again.

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

Note: I have already submitted him to Doe Network so you don't need to.

 

[Quoththeraven]

WI Post in thread 'WI - Evelyn Hartley, 15, La Crosse, 24 Oct 1953'

May 27, 2020

Another November 1, 1952 mystery regarding certain people missing near Ed Gein's land was the disappearance of two hunters, Ray Burgess and 43 year old Victor Bunk Travis. They were supposed to go squirrel and rabbit hunting on the farm property of Lars Thomsen, right across the road from Ed Gein's property.

Ray Burgess had been flashing $4,000 in $100 bills at a Big Flats, WI bar and buying rounds of drinks and eventually got Victor Travis to take him squirrel hunting.

Gein's farmhouse address:

خرائط ‪Google‬‏‏

When more bones were found on the farm on May 9, 1960, authorities...

• Quoththeraven

• 

 

[Quoththeraven]

View attachment 608623
Date of Last Contact: November 1, 1952
Missing From: Plainfield, Adams County
Age: 42 Years

Nickname: Bunk

Sex: Male

Race: White

Height: 5' 6" - 5' 10" (66 - 70 Inches)
Weight: 150 - 180 lbs
Hair: Brown

Eyes: Hazel

Health: Victor walked with a limp, but it's unknown which leg was deformed.
Vehicle: 1950 Oldsmobile

Case Owner:
Adams County Sheriff's Office
(608) 339-3304

Agency Case Number
52-1101

On November 1, 1952, Victor Travis (Bunk) went hunting with a companion and never returned home. His hunting partner was reportedly from Milwaukee, WI. They stopped to drink at a bar(s) on their way to a piece of property adjacent to Ed Gein's property. Victor's hunting dog, rifle, and clothing were found on this property. Neither Victor or his hunting partner were seen or heard from again.

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

Note: I have already submitted him to Doe Network so you don't need to.

Definitely a hit, IMO.

Victor's hunting dog, rifle, and clothing were found on on the farm property of Lars Thomsen, right across the road from Ed Gein's property.

(Newspapers.com) The Daily Tribune Sat, Dec 06, 1952 ·Page 1 & 9 shows Victor lived in Minneapolis, Minnesota at one time before moving to WI Rapids. "Ray Burgess" was described as short and heavyset, standing about 5 feet, 6 inches, weighing about 250 lbs, 50 years old. ​

Victor Harold Travis was born 16 Nov 1909 in Fairchild, WI.

According to the federal censuses (Ancestry.com); in 1910 he lived in Big Flats Township, Adams County, WI. In 1920 he lived in Plainfield Township, Waushara County, WI. In 1928, he married his first wife. In 1930 he lived in Warsaw, Lindsey Township, Benton County, MO. The 1930 census shows him working as a truck driver working road construction. In 1935, he had been living in Adams County, WI before moving to Minnesota. In 1940 he lived in Minneapolis, Hennepin County, MN. The 1940 census shows him working as a custodian. His 1940 draft card show him living in Sheboygan Falls, WI. In 1950 he lived in Minneapolis, Hennepin County, MN. The 1950 census shows him working as a truck loader at a cardboard box factory in Minneapolis, Hennepin County, MN. He was married for the second time in Des Moines, Iowa according to the Des Moines Tribune Fri, Sep 19, 1952 Page 9 (Newspapers.com) just three months before he disappeared Nov 1, 1952.

He was last seen in a bar in Plainfield, Waushara County, WI. He left his car at the bar and left in "Ray Burgess' vehicle. They had been at the bar for about three hours after squirrel hunting on Lars Thomsen's farm.

According to the Wisconsin State Journal Tue, Sep 05, 1961 ·Page 9, "investigators turned up some evidence that Victor Travis may have been the victim of a revenge gangland slaying. One witness had tentatively identified "Ray" as a top Chicago hoodlum, known to have been an enforcer in the Chicago crime syndicate."

As of 1961, no search had ever been made of the area where Harold Travis had disappeared.

Excerpts of articles below were from the The Daily Tribune Sat, Dec 06, 1952 Page 1 & 9 (Newspapers.com)

On the other side of the token, the Leader-Telegram Sun, Dec 01, 1957 Page 1, states that a complete skeleton with a skull with a prominent gold tooth was found on Gein's property, coinciding with a description of "Ray Burgess" who had attracted considerable attention with his gold tooth. Too bad they haven't gotten around to doing DNA on that skeleton. I guess we'll never know for sure which story is true. Maybe both. Maybe the hitman got hit himself. By Ed Gein. If so, how ironic.

​

 

[Keiri]

WOW. How the heck did it take this long to get into NamUs - great investigative work. My gut feeling was Gein is a red herring, because it doesn't match Gein's MO. Gein really mostly did grave robbing, he killed two *women* too though. A hunter, a man who could ostensibly protect himself, and had a hunting dog and weapons, I imagine Gein had nothing to do with it except MAYBE using the skull later for his creations.

 

[fracfog]

View attachment 608623
Date of Last Contact: November 1, 1952
Missing From: Plainfield, Adams County
Age: 42 Years

Nickname: Bunk

Sex: Male

Race: White

Height: 5' 6" - 5' 10" (66 - 70 Inches)
Weight: 150 - 180 lbs
Hair: Brown

Eyes: Hazel

Health: Victor walked with a limp, but it's unknown which leg was deformed.
Vehicle: 1950 Oldsmobile

Case Owner:
Adams County Sheriff's Office
(608) 339-3304

Agency Case Number
52-1101

On November 1, 1952, Victor Travis (Bunk) went hunting with a companion and never returned home. His hunting partner was reportedly from Milwaukee, WI. They stopped to drink at a bar(s) on their way to a piece of property adjacent to Ed Gein's property. Victor's hunting dog, rifle, and clothing were found on this property. Neither Victor or his hunting partner were seen or heard from again.

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

By bringing people, information, forensic science and technology together, NamUs helps resolve cases.

www.namus.gov

Space Waves

Note: I have already submitted him to Doe Network so you don't need to.

Such a haunting and tragic case. It’s heartbreaking to think how Victor Travis and his companion vanished without a trace, leaving only his dog, rifle, and clothing behind. The connection to the area near Ed Gein’s property makes it even more chilling, especially given what we now know about him.

 

[Keiri]

Ed Gein’s wiki has this: Victor Harold Travis, 42, a resident of Adams County, went off to hunt deer in the company of acquaintance Raymond Burgess on November 1, 1952. In the late afternoon, the pair stopped for refreshments at Mac's Bar in Plainfield for several hours. At around 7 p.m., they both left the bar, got into Burgess’ car and drove away. The hunters, along with the car Burgess was driving, were never seen again and no trace of them was ever found. Travis and Burgess had been hunting on the farm next to Gein's farm, despite his objections to them hunting on the day of their disappearance

Ed Gein - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Here is the link to wiki’s source for the above: Sarasota Herald-Tribune - Google News Archive Search

A newspaper article from Sarasota herald. Note: obviously the wiki is incorrect because they did find traces of Travis, they found his clothes, rifle, and dog. If anyone can correct wikis please do and the source would be NamUs.

 

[Keiri]

My submission to Doe Network was accepted

https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/software/mp-main.html?id=6828DMWI

 

[bbbd4u]

WOW. How the heck did it take this long to get into NamUs - great investigative work. My gut feeling was Gein is a red herring, because it doesn't match Gein's MO. Gein really mostly did grave robbing, he killed two *women* too though. A hunter, a man who could ostensibly protect himself, and had a hunting dog and weapons, I imagine Gein had nothing to do with it except MAYBE using the skull later for his creations.

Many LEA are not familiar with NamUS

 

[Keiri]

When the car goes missing I almost always think it’s a body of water case.

 

[Richard]

Victor Harold "Bunk" Travis, age 42, Missing since 1 November 1952

Birth 16 Nov 1909 Wisconsin, USA
Death 1 Nov 1952 (aged 42)
Cenotaph: Hancock Cemetery
Hancock, Waushara County, Wisconsin, USA

This is a MEMORIAL MARKER ONLY, as no further trace of Victor or his remains have ever been found.

Victor disappeared on November 1, 1952 on a hunting trip with an acquaintance named Ray Burgess. His disappearance was more than just 'very mysterious,' with clues and certain evidence that led authorities on a possible homicide investigation that has gone on for years. Both family members & local residents believed that he was murdered. The case has never been solved.

1st wife: Joyce Evangeline (Preston) Travis
KNOWN CHILDREN:
Gene O. Travis
Dale W. Travis

2nd wife: [m. About July/August 1952] Rita M. (Moeberg) Travis
KNOWN CHILDREN: (Daughter)

LINK:

Victor Harold “Bunk” Travis (1909-1952) - Find a...

NOTE:This is a MEMORIAL MARKER ONLY, as no further trace of Victor or his remains have ever been found. Victor disappeared on November 01, 1952 on a hunting trip with an acquaintance named Ray Burgess. His disappearance was more than just 'very mysterious,' with clues and certain evidence that...

www.findagrave.com

 

[Keiri]

I'm curious why everything seems to say Ray's name was Ray Burgess but other sources stress his name isn't certain. If he was an enforcer from Chicago, as stated above, perhaps Burgess was an alias

 

[Quoththeraven]

I'm curious why everything seems to say Ray's name was Ray Burgess but other sources stress his name isn't certain. If he was an enforcer from Chicago, as stated above, perhaps Burgess was an alias

I'm sure it was an alias, too. Some newspapers even put his name in quotes.

According to an article in the Wisconsin State Journal Tue Sep 5 1951 page 9, The past: read all about it. , Ray's vehicle was bought from a used car lot in Milwaukee by a man using the identification of a Milwaukee bartender who had been dead for two years who had the same last name as Ray. License plates that were used on the same car were delivered to a man at a Milwaukee hotel who had the same name as the man whose ID was used to buy the car. The victim once lived in Chippewa Falls , as did the man whose ID was used. The man whose ID was used also worked as a waiter at a Milwaukee hotel. Possibly the same hotel the plates were delivered to, IMO.

That's a pretty elaborate scheme just to drive 160 miles to Big Flats, to seek out a man he didn't know just to go squirrel hunting with him. After getting him good and drunk. Who goes squirrel hunting drunk? Travis' possessions were found on Thomsen's land, but not Ray's. Ray's car was also missing and was never found to this day. It's pretty obvious that "Ray" left with Travis in "Ray's" car. It probably went to a car crusher, which is why it was never found. With Travis still in it.

It was a hit, IMO. The article states that Travis' mother, who had written down the license plate number, said threats had been made against her son and that he'd never been questioned. She also felt it was a hit.

 

[cenazoic]

I came across this thread because I’m reading an older book about Gein: Edward Gein: America’s Most Bizarre Murderer (1981), by Robert H. Gollmar, the judge at his 1968 trial.

On p41, he writes: “…Gein was questioned at length about other unsolved disappearances, including Evelyn Hartley of LaCrosse, Mary Jane Weckler of Jefferson [note: should be Georgia Jean Weckler], and Dick Travis of Adams County.”

I couldn’t find a missing Dick/Richard Travis, so I assume this is another error in the book and he’s referring to Victor “Bunk” Travis.

If that’s correct, does anyone know what became of this skull? (See attached or GeinSkull)

As an aside, the error-prone judge also mentions that Gein is questioned about another missing person: “Detectives came from Chicago to check on a Jackson girl.” Any idea on who that is?

 

[Quoththeraven]

I came across this thread because I’m reading an older book about Gein: Edward Gein: America’s Most Bizarre Murderer (1981), by Robert H. Gollmar, the judge at his 1968 trial.

On p41, he writes: “…Gein was questioned at length about other unsolved disappearances, including Evelyn Hartley of LaCrosse, Mary Jane Weckler of Jefferson [note: should be Georgia Jean Weckler], and Dick Travis of Adams County.”

I couldn’t find a missing Dick/Richard Travis, so I assume this is another error in the book and he’s referring to Victor “Bunk” Travis.

If that’s correct, does anyone know what became of this skull? (See attached or GeinSkull)

As an aside, the error-prone judge also mentions that Gein is questioned about another missing person: “Detectives came from Chicago to check on a Jackson girl.” Any idea on who that is?

A news article on Newspapers.com that I read on the Travis disappearance stated that the person with the gold tooth/teeth turned out to be female. (some articles stated that the skull had a gold molar and that "Burgess" also had a prominent gold tooth) Another article stated that all the body parts at the Gein farm were hauled to the DOJ in a dump truck. There they were eventually cremated I'm guessing.

 

[Keiri]

Can anyone help me with a location for where he was missing? I can't pinpoint it on a current map.

 

[Quoththeraven]

Can anyone help me with a location for where he was missing? I can't pinpoint it on a current map.

Ed Gein lived at N5691 2nd Ave, Plainfield, on a 155 acre farm. The Lars Thomsen farm bordered his farm. I'm not sure, but Ed's farm was bordered by Archer Ave on the north, Archer Dr on the south, 1st Ave on the west and 2nd Ave on the east. It's anyone's guess which road divided their farms. I would guess that since Gein's farmhouse was on 2nd Ave, then across 2nd Ave would be Thorsen's farm. A plat map from 1952 would give us the answer.

The last bar that Burgess and Travis drank at was Mac’s Bar & Cafe, Plainfield. It was owned and operated by James A. & June E. McBrair from 1946-1955. Some accounts say that was where they were last seen before heading back to the Thomsen farm and other accounts say it was the Thomsen farm where they were last seen.

The Post-Crescent Tue, Mar 07, 1967 Page 4 has an interesting article about four murders committed by James D. McBrair, son of the above-named James A. & June E. McBrair, at Fish Lake in Waushara County on Sunday, March 5, 1967. He murdered his estranged second wife, Carol, Marvin Behr, Mrs. McBrair's stepfather, Barbara Behr, Mrs. McBrair's stepsister, and Cheryl Oleson, a babysitter for Mrs' McBrair's two children. James had been living with his parents in Plainfield at the time of the murder.

 

[Quoththeraven]

I'm sure it was an alias, too. Some newspapers even put his name in quotes.

According to an article in the Wisconsin State Journal Tue Sep 5 1951 page 9, The past: read all about it. , Ray's vehicle was bought from a used car lot in Milwaukee by a man using the identification of a Milwaukee bartender who had been dead for two years who had the same last name as Ray. License plates that were used on the same car were delivered to a man at a Milwaukee hotel who had the same name as the man whose ID was used to buy the car. The victim once lived in Chippewa Falls , as did the man whose ID was used. The man whose ID was used also worked as a waiter at a Milwaukee hotel. Possibly the same hotel the plates were delivered to, IMO.

That's a pretty elaborate scheme just to drive 160 miles to Big Flats, to seek out a man he didn't know just to go squirrel hunting with him. After getting him good and drunk. Who goes squirrel hunting drunk? Travis' possessions were found on Thomsen's land, but not Ray's. Ray's car was also missing and was never found to this day. It's pretty obvious that "Ray" left with Travis in "Ray's" car. It probably went to a car crusher, which is why it was never found. With Travis still in it.

It was a hit, IMO. The article states that Travis' mother, who had written down the license plate number, said threats had been made against her son and that he'd never been questioned. She also felt it was a hit.

Correction: Wisconsin State Journal Tue, Sep 05, 1961 ·Page 9​

 

[dotr]

Sep 06, 2025 rbbm.

CRIME HUNTER: Who was ghoul Ed Gein who inspired Psycho, new Netflix show?

If there were a Mount Rushmore for monsters, grave-robbing serial killer Ed Gein would surely have pride of place among the sick pantheon.

torontosun.com

Ghoul Ed Gein inspired numerous horror movies. GETTY IMAGES
''If there were a Mount Rushmore for American monsters, grave-robbing serial killer Ed Gein would surely have pride of place among that twisted pantheon.

A Wisconsin farmboy, Gein’s crimes inspired the 1964 thriller Psycho, starring Anthony Perkins, and 60 years’ worth of cheesy horror movies.''
''Now, Netflix is taking a crack at the so-called Butcher of Plainfield as part of a hit crime anthology series from co-creator Ryan Murphy. Charlie Hunnam will portray Gein in the Season 3 premiere slated for Oct. 3.''

Sep 4, 2025
You know the iconic horror films his twisted legacy inspired, but you may not know his name… yet. This October, Ryan Murphy’s Monster Anthology Series returns with its third - and darkest - season yet. Monster: The Ed Gein Story arrives on Netflix October 3rd.

 

[cenazoic]

I’m sure the Netflix thing is going to be terrible (ie, inaccurate if not borderline offensive, like Monster: Dahmer) and I’ll be there to eat it all up. .

Edit: poor choice of words, but if it fits…

 

[Quoththeraven]

When the car goes missing I almost always think it’s a body of water case.

His hunting dog, rifle, and clothing were found on the Thorsen property they were hunting on. Would he have left them there and gone somewhere with 'Ray'? I'd say unlikely. It would be interesting to find out how his property was found. Was the dog running loose, tied up? Was the gun laying on the ground, propped against a tree? It appears he didn't leave willingly. I also don't think that Travis left his gear there while he and 'Ray' went drinking in Plainfield. Also, there are no bodies of water on the way to Thorsen's farm between the Gein property and Plainfield. Because Travis' hunting gear and dog were even there tells me they did return to the Thorsen farm after leaving the bar. All my opinion.

It also appears Travis' wife was pregnant when he disappeared according to a news article. The baby was born a little over four months after he disappeared.

The photo below with the red circle shows the exact spot of Gein's former home.