Bertha Cracken was murdered by her husband Norman, who had arranged for his mistress to undergo cosmetic surgery to resemble Bertha and take her place. The killers’ plan fell apart when they were chosen as contestants on a TV game show called “Treasure Hunt”; while the killers were in the TV studio, the producers went to bury the prize money in Norman’s backyard, digging up Bertha’s body in the process.
The image of Norman holding Bertha’s severed head on the cover of Crime SuspenStories #22 became one of the most controversial and iconic images in horror-comic history.