Pittsburgh’s “Lobster Boy”: The Dark True Story of Grady Stiles

If you watch the show "American Horror Story," you may be familiar with the character who was inspired by Grady Franklin Stiles Jr. a Pittsburgh native commonly known on stage and in the media as "Lobster Boy." Born in 1937, he toured as a sideshow performer, terrorized his family, and left a legacy that is remembered to this day.

Stiles suffered from a condition known as ectrodactyly, or cleft hand. He was born with his fingers fused together, giving his hands a claw-like appearance. The condition also often affects the feet; in Stiles' case, the condition was so severe that he was unable to walk. When he wasn't using a wheelchair, he used his arms and hands to move around and developed significant upper-body strength.

It’s strange to think that freak shows were once a routine part of American entertainment, but that’s how Stiles and his family earned their living for decades. The condition is genetic, and so five generations of Stiles' family before him lived with ectrodactyly. At a young age, Lobster Boy joined his father’s sideshow act.

Stiles' deformity and his career as a sideshow performer aren't the end of his story, however—far from it. Stiles was a notoriously angry man who was infamous for drinking and smoking heavily and beating his family. He was married twice and had four children, two of whom inherited ectrodactyly.

Stiles’ long history of violence turned deadly in 1979, when he murdered his daughter's fiancé the night before their wedding. He was convicted of third-degree murder, but prisons at the time were not equipped to care for someone with his condition. Instead, Stiles was placed on probation.

Stiles eventually became so abusive that his wife, Mary Teresa, feared for her life and those of her children. In 1992, she paid $1,500 to a teenage sideshow performer by the name of Chris Wyant to kill her husband. Wyant followed through, shooting Stiles in the head and killing him.

Wyant served 27 years in prison, Stiles' wife served 12 years in prison, and her son served life in prison for helping plan the killing. Nonetheless, it seems that only the law was upset about the murder; Stiles was so disliked in his community that no one would be the pallbearer at his funeral. Teresa expressed no regret for her part in killing her husband; she believed she saved the lives of herself and her children.

To this day, Stiles' descendants are afflicted with ectrodactyly. Some of them have become famous performers and actresses, though all of them are more well-liked in their communities than Grady Stiles was in his.

Have you heard this story before? It's certainly one of those weird things that happened in Pennsylvania that could keep you up at night. If Stiles' eerie story has made you excited about exploring more spooky Pennsylvania history, a haunted road trip in Pittsburgh may be perfect for you. If you like, you can also check out this video on Stiles by @RobGavagan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGBoVZCdFXk.