Jeffrey Dahmer – The Milwaukee Monster That Preserved Victims’ Remains

Early Life 

Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer was born on May 21, 1960, in West Allis, Wisconsin, to Joyce Dahmer and Lionel Herbert Dahmer. Jeffrey wasn’t an only child and had a younger brother. There are two different versions of his childhood. One is that Jeffrey was adored by both parents when he was an infant, and they spent all their time with him. The second is that Jeffrey was mostly alone and craved attention. 

Things at home got worse as Jeffrey got older. His mother’s mental health deteriorated as she suffered from hypochondria and depression. These often lead to mood swings and her lying in bed all day. Jeffrey’s father, Lionel, was doing his best to graduate from Marquette University and wasn’t home much. His parents would often argue in front of the boy. 

Nevertheless, Jeffrey was a loud and happy child, but his behavior changed after double hernia surgery. Suddenly, Jeffrey was withdrawn and unusually quiet, especially in school. But the boy wasn’t a loner. Instead, he had a small group of friends. 

When he was six, the Dahmer family moved to Doylestown, Ohio. Joyce gave birth to Jeffrey’s younger brother and named him David. Things were looking up for the Dahmers because Lionel got a job as a chemist after graduating from university. 

Two years later, the family was on the move again, and they settled in Bath Township, Ohio. They had a large property with a small hut near the house. The nearby woods became Jeffrey’s favorite place, and he spent hours collecting animal bones and remains. He cleaned and kept them in jars inside the hut. 

Lionel, a chemist, enjoyed answering Jeffrey’s questions regarding preserving animal bones. He thought that the boy was interested in chemistry as well. After learning to use bleach to preserve animal skeletons, Jeffrey started bringing home dead animals, dissecting them, and burying the remains next to the hut. 

Dahmer as a Teenager and the First Murder 

Jeffrey was considered a misfit in high school, and he started drinking alcohol when he was only 14. The teen would often bring liquor bottles to classes. Even though he didn’t have many friends in Revere High School, his teachers said he was well-behaved and intelligent. 

He knew he was homosexual from his early teen years but didn’t feel comfortable sharing that with his family. On the other hand, his peers now saw him as a funny guy thanks to his inappropriate pranks that involved faking epileptic seizures in class. 

Things at home weren’t great, however, which caused Jeffrey to struggle at school. Lionel and Joyce argued more than usual. It was discovered that Jeffrey’s mother was having an affair. Jeffrey’s parents decided to get a divorce in September 1977. Lionel packed his bags and left the house. 

Jeffrey graduated from high school in May 1978. Joyce and his brother David returned to Wisconsin. Since Jeffrey was 18, he stayed in Ohio by himself. His drinking was getting worse, and Jeffrey admitted to his friends that beer was his coping mechanism. 

Just a few weeks after the graduation ceremony, Jeffrey committed his first murder. While driving home, the teen spotted a hitchhiker. His name was Steven Hicks, and he was trying to get to a concert in Chippewa Lake Park. Jeffrey picked him up and told him he was home alone. He said he had a fridge full of beer, and Steven accepted Jeffrey’s invitation to hang out for a couple of hours. 

While Jeffrey hoped Steven was gay, the other teen soon started talking about girls. It shattered Jeffrey, but he still didn’t want Steven to go. When the teen stood up from the chair, Jeffrey got him from behind with a dumbbell. The blow was so strong that Steven fell to the ground. Jeffrey strangled him, removed his clothes, and started touching Steven’s body. 

One day later, Jeffrey buried Steven’s remains in his backyard. He then dug the body back up and used acid to remove the flesh from the bones. Steven’s bones were crushed with a sledgehammer, and the wind blew away the dust. Jeffrey completely dissolved the teen’s body. 

Ohio State University and Germany 

Jeffrey didn’t live alone at his home the whole summer. His dad returned in July and urged his son to apply for college. He got accepted at Ohio State University, and Lionel couldn’t be more proud. However, Jefferey planned to major in business and not chemistry. As soon as he arrived on campus, Jeffrey started drinking heavily. His grades were low, and he barely attended any lectures. He dropped out three months later. 

Acknowledging that his son was an alcoholic, Lionel forced him to enlist in the US Army. Jeffrey started training in 1979, but he continued drinking during his time in the army. In July 1979, Jeffrey was sent to Baumholder, West Germany, and later discharged in March 1981 because of his performance. Jeffrey was so ashamed that he didn’t want to return home. Instead, he spent months in Miami Beach, Florida. Jeffrey returned to Ohio in September 1981. 

The Return to Wisconsin 

Nothing changed in Jeffrey’s behavior once he returned to Ohio. His dad did his best to stop him from drinking but was unsuccessful. He then sent Jeffrey to his grandmother in West Allis, Wisconsin. His father was counting on the change of scenery to motivate Jeffrey to beat the addiction and find a job. He liked his grandmother, and the two of them were inseparable. He worked ten months at a blood plasma center and then got fired. It sent him over the edge.  

In August 1982, he was arrested for indecent exposure at a Wisconsin State Park. Jeffrey was unemployed for almost three years before he was hired at a chocolate factory. After this, he started to explore local gay bars and bathhouses. However, the young man was soon notorious for drugging his partners. According to Jeffrey himself, he didn’t like when they moved. Then he was arrested again in September 1986 for masturbating in front of two boys. He was sentenced to probation and counseling. 

The Series of Murders 

On November 20, 1987, Jeffrey met a man from Michigan named Steven Tuomi. The two talked briefly, and Dahmer invited him to the Ambassador Hotel, where he drugged the 25-year-old. In the morning Dahmer discovered Tuomi was dead, with bruises all over his chest. Dahmer’s fists were sore and also bruised. 

Dahmer would later claim he couldn’t remember what happened. Knowing he had to dispose of the body, he placed Tuomi in a suitcase and brought him to his grandmother’s house. There he buried his bones but kept Tuomi’s head for weeks. 

The same year, Dahmer decided to lure James Doxtator, a 14-year-old boy, to his grandmother’s basement. He promised him $50 for nude photos. Dahmer then drugged the boy and strangled him in the house. Doxtator was left in the basement for a whole week before Dahmer disposed of his body. 

On March 24, 1988, Richard Guerrero, a 22-year-old man, met Dahmer in a gay bar called The Phoenix. Dahmer paid him $50 to spend the night with him at his grandmother’s house. Guerrero was drugged, and Dahmer then strangled him with a leather strap. He disposed of most of his body, but kept the skull for months. 

Jeffrey’s grandmother wanted him to move out in September 1988. She couldn’t stand his drinking anymore, and the basement and the garage smelled funny. Dahmer then found a small apartment on 808 North Street. Soon after, he was arrested once again – this time for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old boy. He pleaded guilty, and while waiting for his sentencing, he found another victim. 

Dahmer was back in his grandmother’s home and visited gay bars more often. On March 25, 1989, he met a 24-year-old model, Anthony Sears. The two started flirting, and Dahmer invited him back to the house. Sears was drugged, then strangled. In the morning, Dahmer disposed of his corpse in the bathtub. But he preserved both Sears’ head and his genitalia. Dahmer kept the body parts in a wooden box. 

In May 1989, he was sentenced to one year in a work camp and probation. He had a work permit and was registered as a sex offender. One year later, Dahmer found an apartment on 924 North 25th Street, and it took him one week before he killed Raymond Smith. The 32-year-old man was a sex worker. Dahmer gave him a drink with sleeping pills. Once Smith was knocked out, Dahmer strangled him. He later dissolved Smith’s body in acid and saved his skull. 

A week later, Dahmer set his sights on another victim but mixed up the drinks and drugged himself. The man robbed him, but Dahmer didn’t say a thing to the police. Soon after, Dahmer lured Edward Smith to his apartment and killed him. 

In 1990, Dahmer’s methods changed a bit. He invited Ernest Miller, a dance student, to his apartment. He didn’t have enough sleeping pills, so he slashed Miller’s artery. The man bled out, and Dahmer allegedly kept parts of his body to consume later. 

David Thomas and Curtis Straughter were lured to Dahmer’s apartment with a promise of getting paid for posing nude. He drugged and strangled both men in two separate incidents.

His next victim, Errol Lindsey, who was only 19, became Dahmer’s first “experiment.” He drilled a hole in Lindsey’s skull and tried to make a zombie out of him. It didn’t work, and Lindsey woke up, which led to Dahmer strangling the young man. 

Dahmer and Anthony Hughes met in a gay bar, and the man was invited to Dahmer’s apartment to pose nude. Hughes was strangled, and his body was left on the floor for days. Meanwhile, Dahmer lured a 14-year-old Konerak Sinthasomphone to his place, and the boy saw Hughes’ corpse. Dahmer used his shock to attack and drill a hole in his skull. The boy escaped the building and asked for help in the street. Dahmer’s neighbor called the police, but Dahmer managed to convince the officers the boy was his gay lover who had too much to drink. Once they were back in his apartment, Dahmer killed the teen. 

Matthew Turner met Dahmer at a bus stop. Dahmer wanted to take photos of the man, so he accepted the invitation to his apartment. Using the same method of killing, Dahmer then dissolved Turner’s body in a drum filled with acid.

Jeremiah Weinberger was from Chicago, but Dahmer invited him to Milwaukee for a weekend. He tried again to experiment with a victim and drilled a hole in Weinberger’s skull. The man died, and Dahmer placed him in the acid drum. 

Oliver Lacy was a 24-year-old bodybuilder who came to Dahmer’s apartment for a photoshoot. His skull ended up being a part of Dahmer’s shrine.

The last victim was Joseph Bradehof, who came to Milwaukee in search of a job. He left three small children in Minnesota. Dahmer put his head in the fridge and dissolved the rest of his body in the drum. 

The Discovery of Dahmer’s Crimes 

On July 22, 1991, Dahmer was on the hunt for his next victim. He offered $100 for a nude photoshoot to anyone who would agree. Tracy Edwards, who was 32 at the time, accepted. As soon as he entered Dahmer’s apartment, he noticed a strong smell. Soon after, Dahmer placed handcuffs on him and threatened Edwards with the knife. 

Edwards essentially became a hostage. Sensing the danger, Edwards decided to escape. He followed Dahmer’s every move, trying to use anything to his advantage. After spending hours in the apartment, he asked Dahmer to use the bathroom. Edwards then jumped off the couch, hit Dahmer, and ran through the front door. 

He found two police officers around 11:30 PM and told them everything he knew about Dahmer. All three went back to apartment 213. Dahmer couldn’t explain why he handcuffed Edwards, and the officers found a large knife in the bedroom. Upon closer examination, the police noticed polaroid images of dead bodies in the bedside dresser. 

Dahmer tried to resist the arrest, but the two officers were bigger than him. Once he was handcuffed, they called for backup. The investigators found a human head inside the fridge and four more in the kitchen. The fridge also contained various body parts, including human hearts. Dahmer’s bedroom and closet were decorated with seven human skulls. Three human torsos were in the process of dissolving inside the drum. The remains of 11 victims were found in the apartment on 924 North 25th Street. 

The Confession and the Trial 

Dahmer’s killing spree was finally over, and he readily confessed to more than a dozen murders, torture, and abusing the corpses of his victims. The trial began in January 1992, and Dahmer pleaded not guilty, even though he openly discussed the crimes after the arrest. Soon, he stated he wasn’t guilty by reason of insanity. 

The insanity defense was probably suggested by Dahmer’s attorneys, who then listed all the horrifying details of his crimes, saying that a sane person couldn’t do any of it. However, the jury was more favorable to the prosecution, who suggested that Dahmer was fully aware of his actions. He was found guilty on February 15, 1992. Jeffrey Dahmer, the Milwaukee Monster, was sentenced to 16 life terms. 

Death and the Aftermath 

After the trial, Dahmer was transported to the Columbia Correctional Unit. He was in solitary confinement for one year for his safety. Dahmer then agreed to be transferred to a less secure unit. According to the guards, he adapted well to life in prison. Dahmer was fully devoted to Christianity and was baptized in May 1994. 

Osvaldo Durruthy, a fellow inmate, slashed Dahmer with a razorblade on July 3, 1994. Dahmer wasn’t hurt, and he survived. However, he was attacked by Christopher Scarver on November 28, 1994. Dahmer was found on the bathroom floor with serious head injuries. He was bludgeoned with a metal bar. Dahmer was alive for an hour, and then he passed away. 

Jeffrey Dahmer is still one of the most well-known serial killers in America. The apartment building he once lived in was demolished in 1992 and is a vacant lot. Lionel Dahmer and his second wife continued to support Jeffrey despite everything he had done. Joyce Dahmer struggled with her mental health throughout the 1990s and died of cancer in 2000. Jeffrey’s younger brother didn’t want anything to do with his family. He changed his surname and lives under an alias.