Jeffrey Dahmer Victims’ Families Fought Over Whether to Auction off His Death Tools 

Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer changed the lives of his victims’ families forever. They had to figure out how to handle various situations in the wake of Dahmer’s arrest. However, the families didn’t necessarily agree on how to move forward with how to handle the horrendous series of events that inspired several true crime series, including Netflix’s The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes. The Dahmer victims’ families argued over whether to auction off death tools from his apartment to give some of these folks the ability to profit from it.

Jeffrey Dahmer had 17 victims

Between the years 1978 and 1991, Dahmer killed 17 victims. They were all young men murdered between his apartment, his grandmother’s home, his parents’ residence, and the Ambassador Hotel in Milwaukee. A total of 14 victims were non-white, and Dahmer admitted to seeking out men with a specific “ideal” body type. However, he managed to escape capture for quite some time.

Dahmer used sedatives to drug his victims before killing them via strangulation. However, he would use even more disturbing methods on later victims to place them in a submissive state, although it would always prove fatal.

The families of Jeffrey Dahmer victims argued over auctioning off his death tools

According to Herman Martin and Patricia Lorenz’s Serial Killer’s Soul, minority communities in Milwaukee came together to grieve their loved ones. However, they would discover the victims’ families began to debate whether they should auction off Dahmer’s death tools from his apartment; the money would go to the families and the community.

Some of the objects included the refrigerator where he stored his dismembered victims, hypodermic needles, drums that he used to melt the flesh from victims’ bones, and all of the tools used to cut bodies apart.

A few of the families of Dahmer’s victims wanted the money because they thought they should “profit” from the tragedy. However, others called it “blood money” and thought it was despicable for anyone to want to purchase such items.

“I don’t want someone saying, ‘This is the ax that cut off Eddie’s head,’ Theresa Smith said of her brother. “What kind of person would want that and then brag about having it?”

Several others agreed with her and brought up the idea of destroying it all for closure. A business group even tried to put in a bid, which created further outrage.

Associated Press once reported that the belongings were ultimately destroyed, which helped give at least some sense of peace to some of the victims’ families.

The drama spread through the prison system

Martin and Lorenz’s book further explored how Dahmer’s actions toward his victims sent shockwaves through the prison system. His drama sounded off through the walls of the prison, although many inmates passed around inside jokes and puns to lighten the situation.

Law enforcement arrested Dahmer in 1992 and the court sentenced him to 16 life terms. He remained there until fellow inmate Christopher Scarver beat him to death in 1994.