Where Is Jeffrey Dahmer's Stepmother Shari Now?
Content warning: This article contains discussion of murder and sexual assault some may find upsetting. Reader discretion is advised.
Netflix's new popular true crime series DAHMER - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story has arrived on the streaming giant, with Evan Peters starring as the titular role. The serial killer who was one of America's most notorious murderers took the lives of 17 boys and men before his arrest in 1991. The 10-episode series shines a light on police failures before Dahmer was caught, chronicling his killing spree that began in 1978. While the limited series is a scripted retelling of Dahmer's crimes, the characters in the show are based on real people in Jeffrey's life.
After finishing the show, you may be curious about where some of these people are now, like Jeffrey's younger brother, David, and father Lionel. Shari Dahmer — played by Molly Ringwald 0n the show — is one person of interest. So where is she now? Here's everything we know about Jeffrey Dahmer's stepmother, Shari.
Where is Shari Dahmer now?
Shari Dahmer is the stepmother of Jeffrey Dahmer and the wife of Lionel Dhamer. According to The Cinemaholic, she married Jeffery's father in 1978 following his divorce from his first wife, and Jeffery's mother, Joyce Flint.
Aside from giving several interviews on television shows over the past two decades, Shari lives a relatively quiet life away from the public eye. Now in her eighties, it is thought that Shari still lives with Lionel in Ohio, per The Cinemaholic.
She's opened up about her experience with Jeffrey
Shari appeared in the 2017 Oxygen documentary Dahmer on Dahmer: A Serial Killer Speaks to talk about what it was like meeting Jeffrey for the first time.
“What I wanted to do, and what most people wanted to do, was mother him," said Shari. "He was just vulnerable. Even if I wasn’t his stepmother all his life, as a mother you sense those things.”
She revealed on camera that the only thing that ever worried her was his drinking habits, saying that learning about his crimes completely shocked her. Shari also shared that she once went to Jeffrey's apartment in search of evidence.
“When I went to Jeff’s apartment, I went through his refrigerator and his bathroom. I pulled back the bathroom’s shower curtain. At that point, his apartment was perfectly clean. Spotless,” she said.
She's appeared on Larry King Live with Jeffrey's father Lionel
In 2004, 10 years after Jeffrey died in prison, Shari made a joint appearance with Lionel on Larry King Live to share what it was like raising the killer. When asked why the couple decided to go on the show, Lionel and Shari shared that they wanted to help others. "Anything that we could do to prevent another Jeff would be a blessing. It is not easy ... no one allows us to forget about it," Shari said.
Shari expressed that was also still using the Dahmer last name regardless of its association with Jeffrey. “I’m proud of my name. I used it in the business world. I use it still. I have no reason to deny who I am. We didn’t do anything wrong,” she said.
No further information has been released about Jeffrey's stepmother Shari since, but with Conversations with a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes coming to Netflix on October 7, we may get to hear more about her.
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