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Jeffrey Dahmer Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 29, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth21 May 1960

Age34 (at time of death)

BirthplaceMilwaukee, Wisconsin, US

ProfessionSerial killer

NationalityAmerican

Marital statusUnmarried

FamilyFather: Lionel Herbert Dahmer; Mother: Joyce Dahmer (deceased); Brother: David Dahmer

Jeffrey Dahmer Biography

Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer was an American serial killer who murdered 17 males between 1978 and 1991. His crimes involved necrophilia, cannibalism, and the dism

Early life and background

Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer was born on May 21, 1960, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The son of Lionel Herbert Dahmer, a research chemist, and Joyce Dahmer, a teletype-machine instructor, he spent his early childhood in and around Milwaukee before the family relocated several times. His parents’ marriage became strained by the mid-1970s, and the household environment included frequent arguments and episodes of his mother’s depression. Jeffrey’s childhood interests included collecting insects and animal remains; his father later described teaching him basic techniques for cleaning and preserving bones.

Dahmer experienced health issues as a young child and was reportedly subdued after surgery for a double hernia. He began exploring animal carcasses and bones, an activity his father at first attributed to scientific curiosity. The family moved to Ohio when Jeffrey was a child, and he attended Hazel Harvey Elementary and Revere High School. He became aware of his sexual orientation in adolescence and began drinking heavily by age 14. By his mid-teens he was developing fantasies about domination and control that he later said became intertwined with his interest in dissection.

Career and military service

After high school graduation in 1978, the same year his parents divorced, Dahmer enrolled at Ohio State University to study business but struggled with alcohol and poor grades and left the school. In January 1979 he joined the United States Army. Trained as a medical specialist, he completed basic training at Fort McClellan and received medical training at Fort Sam Houston before being stationed in Baumholder, West Germany, as a combat medic. Throughout his service he was frequently intoxicated and in March 1981 was discharged as unsuitable for continued military service; his discharge was recorded as honorable.

Following the Army, Dahmer lived briefly in Miami Beach and worked in a deli, but problems with alcohol and housing led him back north. He later lived with his grandmother in West Allis, Wisconsin, and held jobs including phlebotomist at the Milwaukee Blood Plasma Center and a night-shift position as a mixer at a chocolate factory. Periods of employment were punctuated by unemployment and escalating personal problems.

Criminal acts and arrest

Dahmer murdered seventeen males between 1978 and 1991, killing sixteen victims in Wisconsin and one in Ohio. His first victim was a hitchhiker named Steven Mark Hicks, whom Dahmer killed in June 1978 shortly after graduating from high school. Over the following years Dahmer’s offenses included sexual assault, necrophilia, and cannibalism; he also preserved body parts of some victims. He lured partners from bars, bathhouses, and other locations, sometimes drugging them to subdue them. After a series of incidents, including arrests for public exposure and intoxication, Dahmer was finally arrested in 1991 and later convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Prison, religion, and death

While incarcerated at Columbia Correctional Institution in Portage, Wisconsin, Dahmer adopted Christianity and was described as a born-again Christian; he was baptized in May 1994 by Roy Ratcliff, a Church of Christ minister. On November 28, 1994, Dahmer was beaten by a fellow inmate, Christopher Scarver, and died of severe head injuries at age 34.

Public profile

Jeffrey Dahmer became one of the most notorious American serial killers, and his crimes drew intense media attention. He was known by several sobriquets in public discourse, reflecting the notoriety of his offenses. Public descriptions of his psychiatric state during the killings have noted the presence of necrophilia and cannibalism among the acts committed.

Latest updates

The factual record lists Dahmer’s dates of birth and death, the number of victims attributed to him, and key milestones such as his military service, arrests, conviction, and eventual death in prison. Biographical details commonly reported include his early fascination with animal remains, his struggles with alcohol, and his turning to religion during incarceration.

Personal and family notes

Dahmer was unmarried at the time of his death. His parents were Lionel and Joyce Dahmer; his father later remarried to Shari. He had one younger brother, David. Ethnically, his ancestry included German and Welsh on his father’s side and Norwegian and Irish on his mother’s side. At various points in his life he lived at an apartment in Milwaukee and in other family residences in Ohio and Wisconsin.

Physical characteristics and other details

Reported physical attributes include a height of approximately 185 cm (about 6 feet 1 inch) with gray eyes and medium-blond hair. He has been described in reporting as having adopted Christianity while in prison. The long record of his offenses, arrest, trial, and death remain central to his public biography.
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Career Highlights

  1. Committed seventeen murders between 1978 and 1991 (16 in Wisconsin and 1 in Ohio)
  2. First murder in June 1978 (victim: Steven Mark Hicks)
  3. Served in the U.S. Army as a medical specialist before being discharged in 1981
  4. Arrested in 1991, convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment
  5. Became a born-again Christian while incarcerated; baptized in May 1994
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Jeffrey Dahmer born?

21 May 1960

What is Jeffrey Dahmer known for?

Serial killer

What is Jeffrey Dahmer’s marital status?

Unmarried