FOND DU LAC (NBC 26) — The man at the center of a multiyear stalking case, later found to be living with human remains, was formally charged Wednesday in Fond du Lac County.
Benjamin C. Larson, 47, was charged Wednesday with three counts of receiving stolen property valued at $2,500 to $5,000, one count of felony bail jumping and one count of resisting or obstructing an officer.
The 47-year-old appeared at the Fond du Lac County courthouse Wednesday morning, where a judge set a cash bond of $250,000 — with multiple conditions including not possessing any human or animal remains, and no dangerous weapons of any kind.
Larson was first charged Aug. 18 in Dane County Circuit Court with one count of stalking after a Madison-area woman reported a 13-year campaign of harassment. He was released Friday after posting a $15,000 cash bond. On Monday, he was booked in Fond du Lac County on new offenses.
The charges stem from an Aug. 14 search of Larson’s home in rural Fond du Lac County, where investigators found serial killer memorabilia, items allegedly taken from Ed Gein’s grave, a jar bearing a sign claiming to contain a piece of John Wayne Gacy’s brain, and bottles labeled with poison names including arsenic and cyanide.
According to a criminal complaint filed Wednesday in Fond du Lac County, an anthropologist told detectives that three skulls found in Larson’s home were determined to be archaeological Native American remains. The anthropologist also told detectives that at least two bones — a femur and a humerus — appeared to contain soft tissue and “bodily type substances,” indicating the remains were much more modern and not archaeological Native American remains. Another skull that appeared to contain modern filling material was also sent for further testing.
The complaint further states that a recovered femur showed signs of being cut or damaged with a handsaw.
Larson’s attorneys provided detectives with a list explaining how he allegedly obtained the human remains recovered from his home. According to the complaint, the list did not include specific invoices, prices or purchase records. Detectives determined several stores named on the list had not sold Larson any items, and one business had been closed since 2016.
During an interview Friday with Fond du Lac County detectives, Larson confirmed he is not an active member of or affiliated with any Tribal Nation. When questioned about the lack of receipts proving where the remains came from, Larson claimed some of the skulls were family heirlooms.
According to the complaint, Larson later admitted to detectives that he found remains buried on tribal land in Fond du Lac County.
“The defendant stated that he went to the tribal land with his mother ‘to pay respects’ to the remains he had previously found,” the complaint states. “The defendant admitted to digging ‘slightly’ into the ground at the site, claiming he had buried artifacts and ceremonial remains. After the conclusion of the interview, Detective T. took the defendant into custody.”
The complaint states the bail-jumping charge stems from a standard bond condition imposed earlier this month in Dane County prohibiting Larson from committing new crimes. Detectives also stated they found no legal means by which Larson could have obtained the three Native American skulls and other human remains.
Larson is due back in court for a preliminary hearing Friday morning.
