FOND DU LAC, Wis. — A stalking suspect faces new charges as investigators reveal more details about the human remains found at a home in rural Fond du Lac County.
Benjamin Larson was arrested on Monday in connection to the skulls and bones that detectives found in the basement of his home, among other items including research on serial killers and journal entries about the woman he had allegedly stalked in Madison for over a decade. He has now been formally charged with three felony counts of receiving stolen property, one felony count of bail jumping and one misdemeanor of obstructing an officer in Fond du Lac County.
Disputed origins of human remains
In a new criminal complaint, detectives confirmed that several of the skulls found at Larson’s home are archaeological Native American remains. Other bones still had soft tissue attached and one skull had a modern tooth filling, which detectives said are much more recent and require further testing.
Larson’s wife and mother told investigators they were aware of the skeletal remains in the basement, but did not know where Larson obtained most of them. His mother only offered an explanation for a set of bones in a glass coffin as belonging to Larson’s great-great-Grandfather, who was a physician.
The complaint says Larson and his wife have been married for 20 years and lived at their current home together since 2008. His wife told investigators that “she knew the human remains found in the casket were not all from the same person, because the skeleton was incomplete” when Larson received them.
Larson himself told investigators that many of the items are family heirlooms or were purchased from the internet or stores, and admitted to finding some of the remains on tribal land in Fond du Lac County. He named multiple stores including “Skulls Unlimited,” “Blood Moon Oddities” and “The Bone Room,” but had no receipts or other proof of purchase. Detectives were unable to verify any of the purchases and concluded three Native American skulls were likely obtained illegally or stolen.
New details in basement search
The new criminal complaint describes displays in the basement as “shrines” to serial killers, including Ed Gein. The main area of the basement had a glass-top coffin containing a partial skeleton, and a mummy that turned out to be fake human remains.
Inside a separate area of the basement secured by a makeshift door with a combination lock, detectives discovered a lantern-style container displaying a photograph of a Fond du Lac County homicide victim from the 1990s. Detectives found dirt and grass particles inside the container, which they said could have come from the homicide crime scene.
Near the lantern, detectives found binders containing information about historical murders and killings, including graphic crime scene and autopsy photographs. Other binders had information about the woman who Larson allegedly stalked in Dane County, and more binders contained locks of human hair, each labeled with the name of a woman.
Investigators also found a fire safe box containing nude photos of women, hand-written notes and information about each woman’s location. According to the complaint, the box was labeled with the defendant’s initials and said “not to open but upon his death” and to bury with his ashes.
Re-arrested with higher bond
Larson was initially arrested on one felony stalking charge in Dane County and given a $15,000 cash bond. Online court records show he paid the bond and was released from jail on Aug. 21.
Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney criticized the bond amount as a “shockingly low cash bail,” calling it “disturbing based on the allegations.” About ten days later, Larson was arrested on new charges pending in Fond du Lac County related to the human remains investigation.
Larson remains in custody at the Fond du Lac County Jail on a $250,000 bond. At his first court appearance on Wednesday, a judge ordered him not to have possession of any human or animal remains, weapons, firearms or knives. Larson has a preliminary hearing in Fond du Lac County scheduled for Friday, Sept. 4, and an arraignment and bail hearing in Dane County scheduled for Friday, Sept. 11.
