Lionel Dahmer death updates — Dad of infamous serial killer Jeffrey dies 30 years after son killed in prison

Lionel's wife died at the beginning of this year

The U.S. Sun also exclusively revealed that Lionel's wife Shari had died in January this year.

A source said that Shari had passed away at a nursing home near her and Lionel's home in Seville, Ohio.

She was understood to have passed away due to complications related to health problems she had suffered in recent years. 

Shari was thrown into the limelight after her stepson’s horrendous crimes emerged following his arrest in 1991.

She stood by Lionel as he struggled to come to terms with what his son had done.

More on Jeffrey and David’s relationship, continued

The U.S. Sun's insider continued: "But her mannerisms were more like David, who was more outgoing and talkative than his brother.

"Jeff was more like Lionel, he was more reserved and thought things through, or at least when he was younger it seemed that way.

"When Joyce took off with David after her marriage with Lionel ended, Lionel only had Jeff to dote on.

"Jeff reminded Joyce of Lionel and that’s one of the reasons why she didn’t take Jeff with her after the divorce."

More on Jeffrey and David's relationship

Jeffrey and David had issues while growing up together as they competed for the love of their late mother Joyce, retired FBI profiler Dan Craft said in an interview for the Fox Nation docuseries My Son Jeffrey: The Dahmer Family Tapes.

The U.S. Sun's insider said at the time: "To my understanding, Joyce favored David because David acted and looked more like her.

"He was more like Joyce in their personalities than Jeff was.

"She was an alcoholic, as was Jeff in later life.

Jeffrey's younger brother spotted for the first time in September

Jeffrey's younger brother David was seen for the first time in decades in September in pictures obtained exclusively by The U.S. Sun.

David looked unrecognizable as he was spotted near his home in the suburb of a major US city, which The U.S. Sun decided not to reveal.

Pics showed David sporting a full orange tracksuit reminiscent of his older brother’s infamous pictures in a prison jumpsuit.

He was also photographed cycling while wearing Lycra and yellow-tinted glasses reminiscent of his infamous brother’s aviator-style lenses. 

It came shortly after new details about his tense relationship with the serial killer emerged in a documentary 

New interest in Jeffrey 'took a toll' on Lionel

The U.S. Sun’s source said that the renovated interest in his son took a toll on Lionel.

The source said: “The fallout from the Netflix show and docuseries last year affected him.

“People started showing up at his house and he got phone calls at random times of the day about it, so that stressed him out.

“He was worried for his safety.”

Netflix series released about Lionel's son Jeffrey

Last year, Netflix released the controversial hit drama series Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.

Created by heavy-hitting Glee and American Horror Story producer Ryan Murphy - it reached number one on the streaming giant’s platform in its first week after being released.

It became Netflix’s second most popular English-language series of all time, behind Stranger Things.

The following month Netflix also released true crime docuseries Conversations with a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes.

Lionel's health went downhill in January

A source close to the family has also explained that Lionel's health started to decline after Shari passed away in January.

“It was slow at first but he didn’t want to get up and move as much," they said.

“It was almost as if he was ready to go.

"There are plenty people out there who have a lot of respect and admiration for Lionel because of what he went through with Jeff and how he dealt with it.

“It’s a very sad day for those who cared about him.”

Lionel claims he 'had hallucinations of son'

Jeffrey Dahmer’s dad hallucinated that he’d seen his notorious serial killer son in the months before he died at 87, The U.S. Sun can exclusively reveal.

A source close to the family revealed: "In his final months he was heavily medicated and had hallucinations about seeing Jeff.

“He was incoherent and asking if people had seen Jeff. He said that Jeff had come to see him.

“He also asked about Shari, it was almost as if he was trying to remember happier times."

DEADLY VISIONS

Jeffrey Dahmer's dad 'had hallucinations of killer son before he died'

Lionel feared for Jeffrey's safety

Lionel and his wife, Shari, both expressed that they feared for Jeffrey’s safety during his time in prison.

Their worries would soon be proven to have been valid.

Jeffrey was beaten to death by a fellow inmate Christopher Scarver at Wisconsin's Columbia Correctional Institution in 1994.

Lionel continued his relationship with his son

Despite the confusion around what caused Jeffrey Dahmer to commit his heinous crimes, Lionel loved his son.

He stayed in regular contact with Jeffrey and visited him in prison regularly, alongside his wife Shari.

Jeffrey was killed by a fellow inmate in 1994.

Lionel often blamed himself

Throughout Lionel Dahmer's writing, he expressed confusion about what may have caused his son to kill, while he also often blamed himself for Jeffrey’s monstrous actions.

Lionel said he was negligent and probably didn’t give enough of himself to Jeffrey emotionally.

The distraught father even blamed his chemistry background.

He wrote: ''As a scientist, I wonder if the potential for great evil resides deep in the blood that some of us may pass on to our children at birth.''

Lionel Dahmer published a book

After discovering his son was a serial killer, Lionel Dahmer opened up about his thoughts and feelings.

In 1994, he wrote a book called “A Father’s Story," which details his perspective as the father of Jeffrey Dahmer, where he expressed the complicated and often contradictory feelings he had about his killer son.

In the book, he suggested the prescription drugs Jeffery’s mother was on while pregnant could have affected his brain in a negative way.

He also questioned if his son’s shyness as a child was a red flag of future murderous tendencies.

The evolution of Lionel Dahmer's career

Lionel Dahmer mainly worked as a writer after graduating from the University of Wisconsin in 1959 and Marquette University, receiving a Master of Science in 1962.

In 1966 he became a graduate of Iowa State University, obtaining a Doctorate in Philosophy.

He then served as a senior research chemist at PPG Industries in Barberton from 1960-1962, and as a research supervisor in analytical chemistry from 1968.

Lionel's involvement with TV shows and documentaries

Following the death of his son, Lionel Dahmer was involved with several TV shows and documentaries, including:

• Biography
• Dateline NBC
• Dahmer on Dahmer: A Serial Killer Speaks
• Mind of a Monster
• Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
• Dr Phil
• Netflix's Conversations with a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes
• My Son Jeffrey: The Dahmer Family Tapes

About Lionel Dahmer

Lionel Dahmer was the father of Milwaukee serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer.

He also had a younger son - David Dahmer.

Lionel shared both sons with his first wife Joyce Dahmer.

In 1978, he married his second wife, Shari Jordan - who became a stepmother to both Jeffery and David.

Lionel Dahmer's final years kept private

It is reported that Lionel Dahmer lived in Ohio, where he lived for most of his life.

He lived there with his wife Shari for the final years of their lives.

Since 2020, Lionel embraced a life of privacy and tended to shy away from the public eye.

Monster son

Dahmer murdered and dismembered 17 young men and boys in Ohio and Wisconsin between 1978 and 1991.

Many of his gruesome murders involved cannibalism, necrophilia, and preserving victims’ body parts.

The serial murderer would frequently meet his victims at bars or nightclubs and lure them back to his apartment by promising to pay them for nude pictures.

His heinous murder spree finally came to an end in 1991 after his would-be victim, Tracy Edwards, managed to escape Dahmer's apartment and notify the police.

'Fans' showed up at his door

Shortly after the release of crime thriller, Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, Lionel's carer shared with The U.S. Sun that deranged fans would show up to his home acting “hostile and aggressive.”

Concerns over deranged fans have led his team to put up “No Trespassing” signs, and his carer even armed himself.

“This new Dahmer show blew up really quick," Jeb told The U.S. Sun last October.

“Anything Dahmer-related blows up. It seems like every time a movie or series comes out, that's when a lot of the crazy starts happening with the fanboys and the fan girls.

'Let it happen'

Jeb continued: “Why weren’t there any guards standing there watching? All three of them had improvised weapons right there.

“Why didn’t any of them do anything?

“As far as I know, and the last I talked to Lionel (about this), he believes the guards looked the other way and let it happen.”

Dad's carer spoke out before Lionel's death

Lionel's carer, Jeb, told The U.S. Sun that Lionel was still angry over his son's gruesome murder in prison.

“When Scarver gets brought up, he gets pissed," Jeb exclusively told The U.S. Sun in October 2022 during the peak of the  series Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.

“He is still very angry about it."

Almost 30 years after son's death

Christopher Scarver, now 54, brutally beat Dahmer to death with a metal bar in the prison weight room at the Columbia Correctional Institution in Wisconsin in November 1994.

Lionel was said to still be angry over his son's gruesome murder in the lead-up to his death.

Health department confirms passing

In a statement to Sun reporter Alex Diaz, an employee of Medina County Health Department said: “We have been notified of the death of Lionel Herbert Dahmer, who was born on July 29, 1936.

“We are waiting for a copy of his death certificate to be sent over to us so we can register the death.

“It was so recent that I would imagine we won’t see that for a couple of days.”