The chilling Netflix series, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, and Conversations with a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes, have reignited public fascination and horror surrounding Jeffrey Dahmer, one of America’s most notorious serial killers. These series delve into the gruesome details of his murders, many of which occurred in his own apartment, sparking a renewed interest in the physical locations associated with his heinous acts. For those seeking to understand the geography of Dahmer’s crimes, the question arises: Where Did Jeffrey Dahmer Live and where did these unspeakable acts take place?
Jeffrey Dahmer’s name is synonymous with unspeakable acts of murder, cannibalism, and necrophilia. Convicted in 1992 after a reign of terror spanning over a decade and claiming at least seventeen lives, Dahmer’s crimes continue to shock and disturb. A significant number of these horrific acts were perpetrated within the confines of his Milwaukee apartment. True crime enthusiasts and those seeking to understand the context of these events often ask: where exactly were these locations, and do they still exist? This article will explore the addresses connected to Jeffrey Dahmer, detailing what happened at these sites and their status today.
The Oxford Apartments: Apartment 213 – Ground Zero of Dahmer’s Atrocities
Jeffrey Dahmer’s primary residence during his most active period of killing was Apartment 213 in the Oxford Apartments, located at 924 North 25th Street in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This address, 924 North 25th Street, became infamous as the scene of unimaginable horrors. FBI records confirm this location as central to Dahmer’s crimes. Before moving to the Oxford Apartments, Dahmer also resided at his grandmother’s home at 2357 S 57th Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for approximately nine years. Both of these Milwaukee addresses, along with his childhood home, are locations where Dahmer committed murders.
Jeffrey Dahmer arrest photo, reflecting renewed public interest after Netflix series.
924 North 25th Street: Inside the Apartment of Horrors
The Oxford Apartments address, specifically apartment 213 at 924 North 25th Street, was where Dahmer lured many of his victims. He predominantly targeted young, gay men of color, often encountering them at bus stops, bars, shopping malls, and adult bookstores. Dahmer would entice these men back to his apartment with promises of beer or money in exchange for posing for nude photographs, as reported by The New York Times.
Once inside the apartment at 924 North 25th Street, Dahmer would drug his victims, often using triazolam in their drinks, before proceeding to murder them. He chillingly confessed to police that his motive was to prevent his victims from leaving, stating, “I didn’t want them to leave.” His apartment became a repository for the gruesome remains of his victims. He stored body parts in his refrigerator and engaged in acts of cannibalism, as detailed in reports from the time. It is estimated that Dahmer murdered twelve men within the walls of this apartment at 924 North 25th Street, making it the location of the majority of his killings, according to Newsweek.
A “Killing Factory”: What Police Discovered at Oxford Apartments
Upon entering Dahmer’s apartment at 924 North 25th Street, law enforcement officials were confronted with a scene so macabre it was described as a “killing factory” by The New York Times. The apartment was stocked with tools of torture and dismemberment. Police discovered ether and chloroform, substances believed to have been used to sedate his victims. A 57-gallon barrel filled with hydrochloric acid was also found, used to dissolve bodies and preserve skeletons. Inside this barrel, investigators found the dissolving remains of three human torsos.
In total, the apartment at 924 North 25th Street yielded the remains of eleven individuals, including dismembered body parts, bones, and corpses, as documented in FBI records. Adding to the horror, police cataloged an array of knives, saw blades, a hypodermic needle, an electric drill, and disturbing photographs among Dahmer’s possessions.
Netflix’s Accurate Recreation and Eerie Realism
The Netflix series Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story has been lauded for its unsettling accuracy in recreating Dahmer’s apartment. FBI crime scene photos reveal a striking similarity between the show’s sets and the actual apartment at 924 North 25th Street, as noted by Esquire. Details such as the beige couch, vintage fish tank, carpet roll, and small television were all eerily replicated, down to the blood stains that proved impossible to eradicate.
Oxford Apartments building exterior, Jeffrey Dahmer's Milwaukee residence before demolition.
Grandmother’s House: Dismemberment at 2357 S 57th Street
Before moving to the Oxford Apartments, another significant address in Jeffrey Dahmer’s life was his grandmother’s home at 2357 S 57th Street in Milwaukee. After being discharged from the army in 1981 and a period living with his father and stepmother, Dahmer moved into his grandmother Catherine Dahmer’s residence. While living at 2357 S 57th Street, his descent into depravity continued.
Though his second murder, Steven Tuomi, occurred in a hotel, Dahmer transported the body back to his grandmother’s house at 2357 S 57th Street in a suitcase for dismemberment, according to Biography. It is believed that he murdered at least three more individuals at this location. Dahmer resided at his grandmother’s home until she asked him to leave in 1988, though he did not move out until 1990. Unaware of the horrors occurring under her roof, Catherine Dahmer remained ignorant of her grandson’s monstrous activities at 2357 S 57th Street.
Polaroid Trophies: Documenting the Undocumented
A disturbing aspect highlighted in the Netflix series is Dahmer’s practice of taking Polaroid photographs of his victims. These graphic images, often depicting dismembered bodies in sexually suggestive poses, were found in his bedside drawer at the Oxford Apartments. A 1994 study in The American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology revealed Dahmer’s motive for these photographs: he wanted “mementos to keep him company,” as reported by Distractify. It was these very Polaroids that played a crucial role in Dahmer’s capture when Tracy Edwards, a would-be victim, escaped and led police back to 924 North 25th Street.
Demolition of Jeffrey Dahmer's Oxford Apartments in Milwaukee, 1992, after victims' families' request.
The Fate of 924 North 25th Street: Erased from the Map
In a move to obliterate the site of such suffering, Jeffrey Dahmer’s apartment building at 924 North 25th Street was demolished in November 1992, just fifteen months after the gruesome discoveries. This demolition was done at the request of the victims’ families, as reported by Newsweek. The Oxford Apartments no longer stand; the address 924 North 25th Street in Milwaukee is now an empty lot.
While the building itself is gone, its former appearance has been preserved through images and videos. Serial killer enthusiasts and ghost tour operators like Shakers Milwaukee on YouTube have documented the building before its demolition, providing a visual record of the infamous Oxford Apartments.
In 1995, the land was acquired by the Campus Circle Project, a neighborhood redevelopment initiative. Their intention was to replace the “symbol of anger, pain, violence, and death” with a space of healing and community, as Patrick LeSage, the project president, stated to The Bulletin in 1992, according to Newsweek. The plan was to plant grass and flowers, symbolically transforming the site.
Visiting the Site Today: An Empty Space of Memory
Today, the location of Jeffrey Dahmer’s apartment at 924 North 25th Street is no longer a physical structure but an empty lot. Despite the absence of the building, the site remains accessible. One can still drive by and witness the vacant space where the Oxford Apartments once stood. For those morbidly curious or seeking to understand the physical geography of Dahmer’s crimes, the empty lot at 924 North 25th Street serves as a stark reminder of the horrors that occurred there. While the physical building is gone, the address, 924 North 25th Street, Milwaukee, remains etched in the annals of true crime history as the primary location where Jeffrey Dahmer perpetrated his monstrous acts.
Empty lot at 924 North 25th Street, Milwaukee, former location of Jeffrey Dahmer's Oxford Apartments today.
Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is currently available for streaming on Netflix.
