Henry Heepe

Background

Henry M. Heepe was a mental hospital patient from Akron. He had been unstable since his younger brother committed suicide in 1970.

The offence

Henry M. Heepe killed and cannibalized his mother, Barbara Heepe, who was 77 years old. He told police he beat his mother to death, then stabbed her and removed her organs. Officers discovered some of the body parts in a pan on a stove, and investigators believed he may have eaten some of the others. Police said their search of the house did not locate all her organs.

The autopsy that lasted all day Wednesday showed Barbara Heepe had been beaten around the face, head, chest and arms and strangled. After she died, she was stabbed and disembowled. Parts were missing, including the lower half of the victim's stomach, her right eye, her spleen and a piece of small intestine.

Henry Heepe said: “I killed my mother”, “She was a vampire devil. I cut out both of her hearts. It took her five hours to die.”

Investigation

Police entered the Heepe home after a neighbor, Mary Hendrickson, said a boy raking leaves reported hearing a woman cry for help. Officers checked the house and heard a man chanting, “Die, die, die,” as they walked in. Officers forced open the door after Heepe barricaded himself in a bedroom and refused to come out.

They discovered Heepe nude on the bed, surrounded by pieces of Barbara Heepe’s corpse. His mouth was smeared with blood when he was arrested, and police investigators believed he may have eaten some body parts found in and around the kitchen.

A knife found in the bathroom left open the possibility Heepe may have flushed the missing parts down the toilet.

Arrest

Henry Heepe was arrested while in custody at the scene. At the time of arrest, his mouth was smeared with blood.

Trial

Henry Heepe was found innocent by reason of insanity of beating his mother to death in 1994, stabbing her repeatedly, then removing her organs and possibly eating some of them.

Heepe had been charged with murder, and his arraignment was delayed while he was hospitalized Wednesday for treatment of diabetes.

Sentencing

Henry Heepe was found not guilty by reason of insanity.

Appeals

No appeal information was provided.

Outcome

Aftermath

Henry Heepe committed suicide at the Central Ohio Psychiatric Hospital on November 7, 1995.

Other details

Henry Heepe was quoted in a police report as saying: “I killed my mother”, “She was a vampire devil. I cut ut both of her hearts. It took her five hours to die”. The case summary stated that he was 51. The report also stated Henry Heepe was 50 when police found him in 1994.

A neighbor said: “It’s a dirty shame”, and added: “She took care of her son” — and he returned the favor.