FOND DU LAC, Wis. — A stalking investigation in Madison led authorities to discovery skeletal remains, serial killer memorabilia and personal items linked to the alleged stalking victim at a home in Fond du Lac.
47-year-old Benjamin Larson of Fond du Lac was charged with felony stalking earlier this month after Madison Police said he has repeatedly contacted a woman whom he briefly dated in 2013.
Stalking allegations span over a decade
According to a criminal complaint, the victim dated Larson for two months in 2013 before she ended the relationship. She said Larson has continued to contact her since through letters, emails, gifts and cards, and filed professional complaints with licensing boards in multiple states.
In one 15-page email, Larson allegedly wrote that he got a tattoo of “their symbol” and “[the victim’s] initials, now a part of my living body.”
Investigators say Larson wrote in letters that he kept the following mementos from his time with the victim:
- “Every single word you wrote to me”
- “A Ziplock bag full of polished stones and stone wire wrapping kit
- “The Tibetan cross you so sneakily and lovingly left in my pocket”
- “A lone earring, still tangles with your hair”
- “2 pieces of scrimshaw”
- “A pressed blue scilla”
- “A coin dated 1984”
- “A blank shell necklace ready for engraving”
- “Two cards”
- “A single voicemail that remains”
The complaint says Larson’s attempts to contact the victim escalated in 2025, when she began receiving communications from Larson’s therapist seeking to discuss him. One card sent by Larson to the victim’s office in November 2025 said, “I will continue to try contacting you until I hear something from you. I’m not sure if I need to try calling, or just knock on your door someday, or what.”
Detectives discover skulls, serial killer memorabilia in basement
The Madison Police Department and the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at Larson’s home near County Road Q and U.S. Hwy. 151 in Fond du Lac on Aug. 14.
According to the complaint, detectives found multiple items related to the serial killer Ed Gein, including a grave rubbing, 10 binders labeled “Edward Gein Book” and items from Gein’s grave or home. They also found cartridges with signs indicating they were similar to those used by the Zodiac Killer, and a jar labeled as a piece of John Wayne Gacy‘s brain.
Other items from the basement listed in the complaint include:
- A mummy
- Skeletal remains in a glass casket
- Skulls in glass display cases and on shelves
- A life-size Jason Vorhees mannequin
The complaint says investigators discovered more items in a bedroom behind a padlocked door in the basement. They found a lifelike silicon doll on a bed surrounded with letters addressed to the victim under an alias, and a painting of a naked woman above the bed that resembled the victim.
Investigators found at least five more human skulls and two large bones arranged in the shape of a cross in the bedroom. The walls were covered with framed images of naked women, skulls and skeletons.
Another discovery detailed in the complaint includes a tote plastic tote filled with items related to the victim, as well as a clay head that appeared to resemble her.
Detectives recovered articles, books and journal entries on subjects like murder and stalking. The complaint says a black portfolio of Larson’s handwritten journal entries contained statements about the victim and her family, such as, “I really ache to take their skulls, all of them.”
A lengthy investigation ahead
Fond du Lac County Sheriff Ryan Waldschmidt said the investigation will “likely span months due to forensic testing turnaround time.”
Much of the forensic testing will include efforts to verify the authenticity of the human remains. The sheriff’s office said a forensic anthropologist’s initial physical examination suggests that many of the remains are likely ancient Native American in origin.
The Wisconsin Crime Lab, Wisconsin Historical Society, the Wisconsin Inter-Tribal Repatriation Committee and other specialized laboratories will work to determine the origins of the remains.
Larson is due back in court on September 11. If convicted on the felony stalking charge, he faces up to three years and six months in prison and up to $10,000 in fines.
