- Lionel Dahmer and Joyce Flint are the parents of Jeffrey Dahmer who was convicted of murdering 15 young men and boys
- The pair shared two children before they separated in 1987 after 19 years
- Jeffrey’s father has continued to make relevant appearances in the media on questions about his son’s crime while his mother Joyce maintained privacy until she passed on in 2000
Jeffrey Dahmer’s parents are Lionel Dahmer and Joyce Flint. The couple had great lives away from the media until the news of their son’s hideous crimes placed them in the spotlight. Jeffrey was a serial killer who was convicted of 15 murders in 1992 and subsequently beaten to death by a fellow inmate in 1994.
While Jeffrey’s father continues to make headlines for his contributions and most recently his appearance in Netflix’s series, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, his ex-wife shielded herself from the media until her sad death in 2000 at the age of 64 after battling breast cancer.
Meet Jeffrey Dahmer’s Parents
His Father Lionel Dahmer is a Research Chemist
Lionel Dahmer was passionate about science since his childhood days and this saw him acquire several degrees in that field. His first degree was from the University of Wisconsin and then he enrolled for his master’s at Marquette University before proceeding for his Ph.D. at Iowa University.
Following this, he worked as a research chemist at the PPG industry, Barberton, and later as an analytical chemist.
He was born to his parents Herbert Walter Dahmer and Catherine Jemima Hughes on July 19, 1963, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin USA.
Joyce Flint is the Mother of Jeffery and a Teletype Machine Instructor
The mother of Jeffrey Dahmer, Joyce Flint was born to her parents Floyd And Lillian Flint on Febuary 7 1936 and spent most of her childhood in Wisconsin.
She reportedly battled mental issues which became worse during her pregnancy years. Joyce started taking several drugs and later became addicted to them.
There are dearths of information regarding her family history, parents, and siblings hence, it’s hard to trace her health history.
However, she managed to live a normal life and even acquired a master’s degree in counseling. Joyce later worked as a teletype machine instructor. She also got occupied with several odd jobs when she relocated to Fresco, California.
Jeffrey Dahmer’s Parents’ Marriage and Divorce
Jeffrey’s parents Lionel and Joyce were married for about 19 years. Details about how the pair met are not known but we presume that they met in the late 50s because this coincided with the same period Lionel was acquiring his doctorate.
After a few years, the pair got married in 1959 precisely on August 24 and soon welcomed two children namely Jeffrey and David. Sadly trouble began to brew in their marriage leading up to a divorce in 1978 when their first son was only 18 years old. The cause of their divorce was linked to Joyce’s alleged affair with an unidentified man.
Consequently, Lionel won the custody of his first son Jeffrey and moved in with his second wife Shari Jordan while Joyce relocated to Fresno California with their second child David Dahmer.
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Their First Son was a Serial Killer
You wouldn’t search hard to find that the first child of Lionel and Joyce became famous in the 90s for his crimes as a serial killer.
Information as to what may have prompted his actions has remained the question for many years. It’s been recorded in many quarters that he suffered from a borderline personality disorder, schizotypal personality disorder, and a psychotic disorder, however, none of these diagnoses was proven during his trial.
At the time Jeffrey was arrested, he had already killed at least 17 people between 1987 and 1991 and reportedly had some of their bones, body parts, and polaroid photos in his apartment. Most of his prey were people of color which he picked from gay bars, malls, and bus stops. He was sentenced to 15 consecutive life terms after being convicted of 15 murders. However, he was killed while in jail by an innate in 1994 at the age of 34.
His mother Joyce had wanted some sort of research done on his brain to identify what may have triggered his actions however, his father wanted his body cremated as per Jeffrey’s wish and that was what was done.
The Youngest Son of the Former Couple Changed His Identity
Following the news of Jeffrey’s crimes, his younger brother David took to a different identity. He changed his name as well as location. In an interview granted by his mother, she claimed that she knew his location but had promised not to reveal it.
Since then. nothing has been heard of him. In the early 90s, it was revealed that he had gotten married and was building his family. While we can’t affirm this, it’s no secret that David Dahmer was born on December 18, 1966, and is currently 58 years old.
What are Jeffrey Dahmer’s Parents up to?
Since Lionel and Joyce were dragged into the messy life of their eldest son, Jeffrey, they have continued to face several questions including parenting style, family history, and health-related issues among other things. Nonetheless, one question which keeps recurring is about their whereabouts, especially with the release of the TV series Jeffrey Dahmer: Mind of a Monster.
Lionel Dahmer is Still Alive and Has Been Working With the Media
Lionel Dahmer has been in the media face since the death of his son in the 90s. He has given several reviews on danger signs parents should look out for in their youngsters.
Lionel has also given room for interviews from several news agencies including the Good Morning America segment. A few months after the death of his son in 1994, he wrote a memoir titled A Father’s Story and gave a detailed look at the early life of his son, his diagnosis, drinking troubles, arrest, aftermath, and death.
More recently, Lionel has attracted much interest following his appearance in Investigation discovery’s 2020 series titled Jeffrey Dahmer: Mind of a Monster. The series portrayed Jeffrey’s life as a shy boy who became a notorious serial killer. It also gave insights into his family and victims.
Joyce Flint Died 6 Years After her Son’s Death
Jeffrey’s mother Joyce, couldn’t live with what her son had done. She revealed that the thoughts of it made her breath cease. As a result, she attempted suicide but was rescued in time.
After a few years, Joyce resolved to privacy and dedicated her life to serving as a case manager at the Central Valley AIDS Team and founder of The Living Room, located in Fresno, California, in 1996.
Unfortunately, the mother of two lost her life in 2000 after a long battle with breast cancer. She was 64 years old at the time of her death.
It’s been over 2 decades since Jeffrey’s crimes and death made the news, however, his story has found a place in history and his parents have also accompanied these stories. While his mother Joyce passed on in the 90s, his father Lionnel has remained resourceful to the media. His recent portrayal in the Netflix series which captured his son’s story had also given the world insights into a lot of things that surrounded his crimes.
