Grady Stiles "Lobster Boy" Grave & Crime Scene Soil

Grady Franklin Stiles Jr. (June 26, 1937 – November 29, 1992) was an American freak show performer and murderer. He had the genetic condition ectrodactyly, in which the fingers and toes are fused together to form claw-like extremities. Because of this, Stiles performed under the stage name "Lobster Boy."

This 4"x6" glass display comes with two vials of soil samples, one from Stiles former home where he was murdered, and the other being soil from his grave.

Stiles was an alcoholic and was abusive to his family. Due to his ectrodactyly, he was unable to walk. While he sometimes used a wheelchair, he most commonly used his hands and arms for locomotion. He developed substantial upper body strength that, when combined with his bad temper and alcoholism, made him dangerous to others. On September 28, 1978 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Stiles shot and killed his oldest daughter's fiancé on the eve of their wedding, as Stiles did not approve of him.  He was brought to trial, where he openly confessed to killing the man and was convicted of third-degree murder. He was not sent to prison as no state institution was equipped to care for an inmate with ectrodactyly. Stiles was instead sentenced to house arrest and fifteen years probation.

Grady's first wife, Mary Teresa, left him to marry Harry Glenn Newman, a little person who was billed as the "Smallest Man in the World". In 1992, Teresa, together with her son from a previous marriage, Harry Glenn Newman Jr., hired a seventeen-year-old sideshow performer named Chris Wyant to kill Stiles for $1,500 (equivalent to $3,441 in 2025). As Stiles smoked a cigarette on the sofa while watching the video Monkey Boy, Wyant entered his home with a semi-automatic pistol and shot him in the head twice, killing him. Stiles was reportedly widely disliked in his community, so much so that only 10 people came to his funeral, and nobody volunteered as a pallbearer to carry his coffin.

This item originates from Epic Memorabilia Shop and comes with a certificate of authenticity card.

*Note: Despite good packing and shipping efforts, we have had incidents of the vial of soil being separated from the display frame during transit. If this occurs the vial can easily be re-attached with a dab of super glue. By purchasing this item you are accepting this risk and will not be issued a refund if this occurs.