The Grace Budd Kidnapping
In May 1928, 18-year-old Edward Budd placed an ad in a New York City newspaper looking for work to help provide financial assistance to his poverty-stricken family. A few days later, Fish appeared at the Budds' apartment, introducing himself as Frank Howard. He claimed to be a wealthy retiree who lived on Long Island and wanted to offer Edward a job on his farm. His seeming wealth and calm demeanor put the Budds at ease, but the visit would provide Fish the opportunity to fulfill his darkest fantasies.
When he returned the following week, supposedly to pick up Edward, “Frank Howard” instead asked the Budds to allow him to first take their 10-year-old daughter Grace to a children’s birthday party for his niece uptown, an event he had entirely fabricated. Despite their initial reservations, the Budds relented, with Grace’s father noting that their living conditions and poverty provided their children with few amusements. Grace left with him, never to return.
A Chilling Letter
For six agonizing years, the Budd family had no idea what had happened to their daughter. That changed in November 1934, when they received an unsigned letter in the mail. In it, the writer revealed in disturbing detail how Grace had been lured away, murdered and eaten. While investigators shielded the public from the most graphic parts of the message, even the portion that was released horrified all who read it.
Detectives were able to trace the letter back to a boarding house where Fish had lived. The envelope provided the critical lead police needed, and in December 1934, they arrested him.
Once in custody, Fish confessed to Grace’s murder as well as other unspeakable acts he committed over the years, stating that he had a history of sexually abusing children. Fish said that while he had originally planned to murder Edward, he was worried the strapping teen might be able to overpower him, and instead shifted his murderous attention to young Grace. Fish told authorities he had used a handsaw to dismember Grace's body and then cooked parts of it with strips of bacon, onions and carrots.
Fish also confessed to other violent acts over the years. He admitted to the 1927 kidnapping and murder of 4-year-old Billy Gaffney, and later, strangling to death 8-year-old Francis McDonnell. During interrogations, he provided chilling details of his actions, describing his cannibalism and penchant for torturing children. In a letter to Billy's parents, Fish confessed to eating the boy's remains.
Authorities investigated many of these claims, though many of his boasts could not be verified. But the Budd case alone provided enough evidence to secure a trial.
Trial and Conviction
Fish’s trial began in March 1935 in White Plains, N.Y., the county where Grace had been murdered. The defense argued that he was insane, pointing to his lifelong history of abnormal behavior, his obsession with pain and his confessions of hearing voices commanding him to kill. Prosecutors, however, emphasized the deliberate planning of Grace Budd’s abduction and murder, portraying him as sane but evil.
Throughout the proceedings, Fish’s demeanor unsettled courtroom observers. The 65-year-old appeared frail, almost grandfatherly, which stood in sharp contrast to the monstrous acts he described. Witnesses recalled his calm explanations of his crimes, which seemed devoid of remorse.
After weeks of testimony, the jury deliberated for less than an hour before finding Fish guilty of first-degree murder. Despite conflicting expert testimony about his mental state, the jury concluded he was sane and therefore responsible for his actions. He was sentenced to death.
Execution at Sing Sing
On January 16, 1936, Fish was executed in the electric chair at Sing Sing Prison in Ossining, N.Y. Reports noted that he went to his death quietly, without protest. His execution marked the end of one of the most disturbing criminal cases in American history.
The Budd family tragedy brought attention to child safety and underscored the dangers of blind trust in strangers. The sensational nature of the case also shaped media coverage of violent crimes, as newspapers struggled with how much detail to publish without traumatizing the public or victim’s families.
Even decades later, Fish is remembered not simply as a murderer, but as a symbol of the extremes of human cruelty. His crimes serve as a reminder that evil can sometimes hide behind the most ordinary of faces.
