How Did David Dahmer Disappear?
Netflix's latest true crime series, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, turns back once again to one of the most dangerous serial killers of all time in an effort to share the stories of his victims. In Monster, audiences were also granted a dramatized look into Jeffrey's childhood, which depicted the relationships he had with his parents, grandparents, and younger brother, David.
While the series doesn't reveal much about the siblings after Jeffrey Dahmer committed his multitude of crimes, David's absence in Monster largely stems from his actual disappearance in real life. Unlike his father, Lionel, and his stepmother, Shari, David Dahmer never visited Jeffrey in prison or went to any of his court hearings. We have to ask: what happened to David, and why was he never heard from again?
Who Is David Dahmer?
Born seven years after Jeffrey on December 18, 1966, David was allegedly named by his older brother, according to Distractify. Their relationship reportedly suffered slightly, due to Jeffrey believing that David got more attention as the newborn, and he reportedly resented his younger brother for it. They also had very different personalities. In a 2004 interview with their father on Larry King Live, Lionel stated that Jeffrey was shy and reserved, while David was more outgoing.
When their parents separated, so did the boys. Jeffrey went to live with their father and David went to live with their mother, Joyce. Later that same year, Jeffrey murdered his first victim. David would have been around 12 years old at the time, living in Wisconsin away from Jeffrey entirely.
Where Is David Dahmer Now?
When David graduated from the University of Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1991, Jeffrey had already been arrested for his crimes. At 18, David decided to "cut all ties" with his brother—refusing to show up for any of his court hearings or trials. In the Larry King Live interview with his father in 2004, Lionel revealed that David even legally changed his name to avoid any connection with his highly publicized serial killer brother. David has also stayed completely silent, giving no interviews, TV appearances, or even quotes about his experience growing up with Jeffrey.
At 55 years old, David is allegedly still alive, though there is no public record of his new identity. According to his father and stepmother, he has a good career, a wife, and two children. Since 2004, there have been no further updates on David Dahmer. Denied a normal life, he chose to escape the public eye and start anew. In a way. the public spectacle of Jeffrey Dahmer's killings made David a victim of his crimes as well.
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