Merbs also helped identify the remains of women possibly murdered by Gein. Merbs says that few people, except maybe his mother, think his interest in bones is morbid. More so, people are fascinated by and want to learn about skeletons. But it's completely covered by skin, so it's a mystery. And by the time it becomes visible, it's too late.
Skeletons tell rich tales about art, religion, and culture.
Merbs has spent 10 years studying skeletons as symbols, collecting 500-plus pictures and examples of skulls and bones. Skeletons are a pervasive part of popular culture, adorning everything from Pez dispensers to vodka bottles. People decorate their houses and tattoo their bodies with them. They are fixtures on murder mystery book covers and in Halloween costume racks. People are fascinated by skeletons because they are powerful reminders of our own mortality, Merbs says.