Shortly afterwards Sheriff Greeley married Sally, which only caused Donald's pyromania to escalate.įinally at age of 11, Donald set fire to an abandoned house which burned to the ground. But within a year or two Donald had 'started lighting fires in people's trashcans and running away', eventually giving him a nickname for life.

How much of young Donald's resulting mental illness stems from this early trauma, and how much of it was hereditary via his father, is not known. Finally Sheriff Greeley arrived on the scene, shooting and killing Wendell when he refused to stand down. Sally managed to flee the house with five-year-old Donald intent upon killing them as well, Wendell kept firing until his cheap gun exploded and disfigured his face. Returning home, Wendell killed his three oldest children. One night Wendell snapped he got into a barroom argument where he shot and killed the bartender. He had two brothers and a sister whose names are unknown.ĭonald's father had experienced a worsening of his mental stability for a number of years.

Originally known as Donald Merwin Elbert, the Trashcan Man was born in Powtanville, Indiana as the youngest child of Wendell and Sally Elbert.

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