Dahmer Victim Errol Lindsey Never Got To Meet His Daughter
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Between 1978 and 1991, American serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer targeted and murdered 17 men, dismembering, having sex with, and taking photos of their corpses. He kept gruesome souvenirs from the killings, as well as Polaroid photos, all of which only came to light after his arrest in 1991.
His victims lived rich lives and left behind loving family. Some, like Errol Lindsey, never got to meet his daughter, who was born six months after his murder.
Now, Netflix’s hit limited series, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, is retelling the chilling tale of Dahmer's real-life crimes, and another new doc surrounding his trial came out on Oct. 7. While the first series is a fictionalized account of Dahmer's crimes, it’s based on the real, brutal murders he carried out for more than a decade without detection. And the doc, Conversations with a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes, will go into even more depth with never-before-heard tapes with Dahmer's defense team.
Dahmer's terrible crimes held the nation in thrall, so it’s understandable to have questions about one of America’s most notorious serial killers and all the people he killed. Here’s everything to know about Dahmer’s victims, who they were, and a timeline of when their murders.
How many people did Jeffrey Dahmer kill?
Dahmer reportedly killed 17 men between 1978 and 1991, according to Biography. He preyed on mostly Black, Asian, or Latino men, per Encyclopedia Britannica.
However, some people have linked him to other deaths that occurred in his vicinity during his active years. Dahmer has denied those other claims.
How did he kill them?
Dahmer was methodical in the way he sought his victims out and killed them. He often picked the victims up at gay bars, malls, and bus stops, according to Biography, and lured them back to his home with promises of money or sex.
Dahmer would then provide his victims with alcohol he'd laced with drugs, and kill them. After the victims died, Dahmer would have sex with their bodies and dismember them, sometimes keeping body parts, like their skulls or genitals, as souvenirs, Biography reported. He'd discard their bones in a 57-gallon drum bought for the purpose of disposing of the evidence, the New York Times reported.
One victim—19-year-old Errol Lindsey—died after Dahmer drilled a hole into his head and poured hydrochloric acid into it, The Sun says.
Who was his first victim?
Dahmer killed his first victim on June 18, 1978, soon after his high school graduation. He killed this victim using a barbell.
Dahmer told the police he had picked up a hitchhiker named Steven Hicks, took him home for a beer, and then had sex with him, the New York Times reported.
"When Mr. Hicks wanted to leave, Mr. Dahmer smashed the back of his head with a barbell and then strangled him. He dragged the body into a crawlspace under the house, cut it into pieces and stored it in garbage bags," the paper said.
Hicks was last seen June 18, 1978, but his remains were not found until after Dahmer confessed to killing him in 1991, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
Many more victims would follow after Hicks' death.
The complete timeline of Jeffrey Dahmer's victims:
In total, Dahmer confessed to murdering 17 men. The full list and timeline is below.
June 18, 1978: Steven Hicks, 18
November 20, 1987: Steven Tuomi, 24
January 16, 1988: Jamie Doxtator, 14
March 24, 1988: Richard Guerrero, 25
March 25, 1989: Anthony Sears, 26
May 20, 1990: Raymond Smith (also went by "Ricky Beeks"), 33
June 1990: Edward W. Smith, 28
September 1990: Ernest Miller, 22
September 24, 1990: David C. Thomas, 23
February 18, 1991: Curtis Straughter, 18
April 7, 1991: Errol Lindsey, 19
May 24, 1991: Anthony "Tony" Hughes, 31
May 27, 1991: Konerak Sinthasomphone, 14
June 30, 1991: Matt Turner, 20
July 5, 1991: Jeremiah Weinberger, 23
July 15, 1991: Oliver Lacy, 23
July 19, 1991: Joseph Bradehoft, 25
Dahmer was finally arrested on July 22, 1991. At this time, the police found evidence of the multiple murders that took place in his apartment.
His victims left behind big plans, families, and children.
Steven Hicks, 18, had only recently graduated from high school and was hitchhiking to a rock concert when he was killed, per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. His father described him as a “deeply caring person.”
Steven Tuomi, 24, grew up in Milwaukee and was a short-order cook at a restaurant in the city, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says. He was creative but quiet.
Jamie Doxtator, 14, was Dahmer's third victim. He ran away from home to escape an abusive stepfather, according to The Tampa Bay Times. His mother described Doxtator as “misunderstood,” but she added, “he had a lot of love...I loved him,″ AP News reported.
Richard Guerrero, 25, came from a tight-knit family of Mexican descent. He would often babysit his sister's 2-year-old daughter, USA Today reported.
Curtis Straughter, 18, was a nursing assistant who planned on getting a high school equivalency certificate and attending modeling school, per USA Today.
Some of Dahmer's victims, like Anthony Sears, 26, and Oliver Lacy, 23, had big things planned. Sears’ family told the Sentinel that the model planned to get married to his girlfriend as soon as he had enough money. Lacy was engaged to be married. Additionally, Edward W. Smith, 28, had aspirations of becoming a professional model, according to USA Today.
Ernest Miller, 22 was heading off to college in Chicago and wanted to become a professional dancer. "He was a talented dancer. He was singing and performing when he was younger and used to sing at church," said his aunt, Vivian Miller, per USA Today.
Miller’s uncle, Stanley Miller, took the stand during Dahmer’s trail to confront the killer. “You took his life like a thief in the night. Rather than facing him and letting him fight for the things he [held] most dear, you took the coward’s way out,” he said, per The Guardian. “Did you ever stop to think that this is someone’s son? Did you ever stop to think that this was… Someone’s brother, nephew, uncle, cousin, grandson or just someone’s friend that’s missing him dearly?”
Rita Isbell also took the stand during Dahmer’s trial to discuss her brother, Errol Lindsey, 19. During her victim impact statement, she screamed and charged at Dahmer, calling him “Satan,” per AP News. Isbell recently published an essay with Insider where she explained that she didn’t plan that speech, and shared for the first time that Lindsey has a daughter and granddaughter who are alive today.
Lindsey wasn’t the only one leaving kids behind. The Sentinel said Raymond Smith (Ricky Beeks), 33, had a 10-year-old daughter, and David Thomas, 23, and Oliver Lacy, 23, both had 2-year-old children. Dahmer’s final victim, Joseph Bradehoft, 25, left behind a wife and three children.
Anthony “Tony” Hughes, 31, was a deaf, mute Black man whose mother, Shirley Hughes, described him as "outgoing, jolly, happy," per The Associated Press. She added that he always had a skill for making friends. Shirley also filed a lawsuit against Dahmer, per USA Today.
Konerak Sinthasomphone, 14, was a high school freshman when he was murdered, per the Sentinel. At the time of his death, Dahmer was still on probation for molesting Konerak’s brother, Somsack, The Tab reported.
Matt Turner, 20, lived in a halfway house before his death. "He was basically a good kid. He was bright and articulate," Debbie Hinde, director of the Teen Living Program at the time, told USA Today.
Born in Puerto Rico, Jeremiah Weinberger, 23, worked as service rep at a video store. "He loved art and was very meticulous," said his roommate, Tim Gideon. "He always dressed nice and always worried about what he wore and how he looked," per USA Today.
Tracy Edwards managed to escape from Dahmer.
A final would-be victim, Tracy Edwards, was able to escape from Dahmer's clutches on July 22, 1991, just three days after Dahmer had killed Joseph Bradehoft. Tracy led the police back to Dahmer's apartment, where they found evidence of his other murders and arrested him.
In 1992, Jeffrey Dahmer was finally sentenced to 15 consecutive life sentences for his multiple murders, and was beaten to death two years later by a fellow inmate at the Columbia Correctional Institute, where he was serving his sentence, according to History.
He sexually assaulted at least three other people.
Dahmer was linked to at least three sexual assaults, including the older brother of one of his murder victims. Two other assaults allegedly occurred while he was serving in the army, per The Independent and Protect Our Defenders.
People have tried to link him to other mysterious deaths.
A few mysterious and unsolved deaths occurred in places where Jeffrey Dahmer was living, and some have tried to link them to the killer. But Dahmer never claimed any other victims.
The other mysterious deaths included:
Dean Vaughn, Dahmer's neighbor (still considered a cold case).
Five unsolved murders involving mutilated victims that occurred in West Germany while he was stationed there with the Army, according to a study by Radford University's psychology department.
Adam Walsh, 6, who was abducted and found decapitated in a Florida canal.
Dahmer specifically denied involvement in Walsh's murder, but the boy's father is convinced otherwise.
Why did he take Polaroid photos of his victims?
Dahmer took photos of his victims during the murder process, per The Sun.
When his crimes were discovered, authorities also found ″many Polaroid shot of males of different stages of dress, poses and surgical excisions,″ according to a report by Forensic Investigator Shirley Gaines, per AP News. The report also stated that he kept a photo diary.
One study from The American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology said that Dahmer would pose the bodies "in sexually suggestive positions" because he "wanted to keep them as mementos to keep him company."
The families have spoken out about the series.
The victims' families are none too pleased with the limited series, and some have said that the creators of the show did not ask for permission before going ahead with the project.
Errol Lindsey's sister, Rita Isbell, said she had to relive all the emotions she experienced after a video of her court scene was reenacted in the series. She added that Netflix should give the money they make on the show to the victims' families. "The victims have children and grandchildren. If the show benefited them in some way, it wouldn't feel so harsh and careless," she wrote in her essay for Insider.
Lindsey’s daughter, 31-year-old Tatiana Banks, also shared her thoughts about the Netflix show in an essay for Insider. "I feel like they should have reached out because it's people who are actually still grieving from that situation," she said. "That chapter of my life was closed and they reopened it."
In a tweet, Lindsey's cousin, Eric Perry, also called the show "retraumatizing," in response to the viral video that shows Rita's real court video.
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