Jeffrey Dahmer. A name that shocked Milwaukee and the entire nation to the core. A name whose murderous rampage might have continued indefinitely had one of his victims not escaped.
On the night of July 22, 1991, 32-year-old Tracy Edwards flagged down two Milwaukee police officers claiming a “freak” kidnapped and handcuffed him. Edwards accompanied the policemen back to Jeffrey Dahmer’s apartment, where he claimed to have been held captive for five hours.
![The handcuffs Jeffrey Dahmer used to handcuff Tracy Edwards](https://truecrimemag.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/jeffrey-dahmers-handcuffs.webp)
Upon arrival, Edwards revealed Dahmer also threatened him with a knife and told him he wanted to eat his heart.
Surprisingly, Dahmer did not seem bothered by Edwards’ claims and simply directed the officers to a handcuff key on his bedside dresser.
![Jeffrey Dahmer's bedroom](https://truecrimemag.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/jeffrey-dahmers-apartment-13.webp)
Upon entering the bedroom, the officer stumbled upon a large knife hidden under the bed as well as an open dresser with Polaroid pictures of dismembered human bodies.
![A look inside Dahmer's dresser drawer where investigators found 74 Polaroid photographs](https://truecrimemag.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/jeffrey-dahmers-apartment-28.webp)
“These are for real,” the officer called back to his partner in the living room.
The discovery startled Dahmer, who tried to avoid arrest but was quickly overpowered by an officer.
![Investigators remove evidence from Jeffrey Dahmer's apartment](https://truecrimemag.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/dahmer-crime-scene-1-scaled.webp)
A search conducted by the Milwaukee police’s Criminal Investigation Bureau revealed five severed heads, seven skulls (including some that were painted or bleached), and a tray of blood drippings inside a refrigerator.
Investigators also discovered two human hearts and a part of an arm wrapped in plastic bags on the refrigerator shelves, as well as a torso and a bag of human organs and flesh frozen in ice at the bottom of Dahmer’s freezer.
![Investigators remove a freezer from Jeffrey Dahmer's apartment](https://truecrimemag.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/dahmer-crime-scene-2-scaled.webp)
Further investigation revealed two skeletons, a pair of severed hands, two severed penises, and a mummified scalp, as well as three more torsos dissolving in acid in the 57-gallon drum.
![Investigators remove a 57-gallon drum Jeffrey Dahmer used to dissolve his victims in acid](https://truecrimemag.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/dahmer-crime-scene-3-scaled.webp)
74 Polaroid photographs in total were found detailing the dismemberment of each of Dahmer’s victims.
![74 disturbing Polaroid photographs were found inside Dahmer's dresser drawer](https://truecrimemag.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/jeffrey-dahmers-apartment-23.webp)
“It was more like dismantling someone’s museum than an actual crime scene,” the chief medical examiner said.
![Curious onlookers outside Jeffrey Dahmer's apartment](https://truecrimemag.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/dahmer-crime-scene-4-scaled.webp)
Neighbors, curious onlookers, and members of the media flocked to the scene of the killings.
![Onlookers line the balconies of a neighboring building to get a better view as Milwaukee police search the apartment of Jeffrey Dahmer for evidence](https://truecrimemag.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/dahmer-crime-scene-5-scaled.webp)
“Everyone in the building felt suckered. We all felt that Jeffrey Dahmer had played us. It’s really hard to become fond of someone, to find out that actually that person had a dagger in your back. I thought this guy was my friend,” Pamela Bass, Dahmer’s neighbor told the press.
![Neighbors gather near the Oxford Apartments two days after Jeffrey Dahmer’s arrest](https://truecrimemag.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/dahmer-crime-scene-6-scaled.webp)
In addition to an extensive search of the apartment, police expanded their search to include the area and buildings around the apartment building.
![Investigator photographs the bones found in the backyard of the apartment building Jeffrey Dahmer lived in](https://truecrimemag.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/dahmer-crime-scene-7.webp)
More than a week later, investigators started searching the backyard of Dahmer’s family home where he claimed to have killed his first victim Steven M. Hicks.
![Investigators sift through debris outside Jeffrey Dahmer's family home](https://truecrimemag.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/jeffrey-dahmer-crime-scene-8-scaled.webp)
In an effort to make the disposal easier, several weeks after Hicks’ murder, Dahmer dug the body up, dissolved it in acid, and crushed the bones with a sledgehammer.
![Investigators videotape pieces of evidence found outside the family home where Jeffrey Dahmer is believed to have killed his first victim, Steven M. Hicks](https://truecrimemag.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/jeffrey-dahmer-crime-scene-9-scaled.webp)
Despite their efforts, investigators failed to recover Hicks’ remains but eventually charged Dahmer with the murder based on his confession.
“I created this horror and it only makes sense I do everything to put an end to it,” Dahmer said.
![Behind the Tape Photobook](https://truecrimemag.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/photobook.webp)
Enjoy exploring the dark, uncensored side of true crime? Behind the Tape Photobook features a hand-picked collection of the most spine-chilling crime scene photos.
WARNING: THE PHOTOBOOK ISN’T FOR THE FAINT OF HEART.
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