Jeffrey Dahmer's grandmother's house

This is the former house of Jeffrey Dahmer's grandmother.

It is located at 2357 South 57th Street in West Allis, Wisconsin.

By 1981, Dahmer's life was quickly spinning out of control. The former combat medic had been discharged from the army and was back living with his father, Lionel, and his stepmother, Shari.

To make matters even worse, his drinking problem had made it almost impossible for him to find a steady job.

Eventually, it was decided that the 21-year-old needed a drastic change in his life. Instead of wasting away in Ohio, he needed to go somewhere else and start over.

In December 1981, Dahmer was sent to live with his grandmother, Catherine Hughes. At the time, it was hoped that she would be able to get through to him and persuade him to sober up.

Initially, it seemed as though his move to West Allis was a success. Although he didn't stop drinking, he did find a job and help out around the house. He also accompanied his grandmother to church.

Unfortunately, it wasn't long before he reverted back to his old behavior.

In 1982, he was arrested for exposing himself to a group of people at the Wisconsin State Fair Park. Around the same time, he was also fired from his job as a phlebotomist.

Although Dahmer committed his first murder at his childhood home, his serial killings began while he was living at this address in the suburbs of Milwaukee.

In September 1987, he lured 24-year-old Steven Tuomi to the Ambassador Hotel, drugged him, and then battered him to death while he slept.

Following the murder, he put Tuomi's body in a suitcase and brought it back to 2357 South 57th Street, where he spent two hours dismembering it and breaking the bones down into smaller pieces.

From that point on, he started trolling for victims in gay bars and luring them back to his grandmother's residence.

Between January 1988 and March 1989, Dahmer claimed the lives of three victims, two of whom were murdered in the basement.

By the fall of 1988, Catherine Hughes had grown tired of her grandson's drinking and odd behavior. She also didn't like the fact that he kept bringing young men back to her house. Consequently, she decided that it was time for the 28-year-old to "fly the nest" and find a place of his own.

Although Dahmer found an apartment on North 24th Street, it wasn't long before he fell foul of the law. Within two days, he was arrested for drugging and sexually abusing a teenage boy.

In March 1989, he moved back in with his grandmother while he was awaiting sentencing for the crime. A few days later, he lured 24-year-old Anthony Sears back to the house, strangled him to death, and then dismembered his body in the bathtub.

On May 23rd, 1989, Dahmer was sentenced to one year in jail and five years' probation. However, he was allowed to leave the prison on "day release" as long as he kept his job as a mixer at the Milwaukee Ambrosia Chocolate Factory on North 5th Street.

Ten months later, he was released on parole.

After moving back to West Allis for a short period of time, he eventually found a new place to rent at the Oxford Apartments in Milwaukee.

Photos

Photos of the house and other related images.

2357 South 57th Street

This Google Street View image of 2357 South 57th Street was taken in October 2019.

The Colonial Revival-style house was built in 1939.

Dahmer's grandfather, Herbert Dahmer, purchased the property for $5,750 on March 22nd, 1939.

Victims

James Doxtator, Richard Guerrero, and Anthony Sears were all murdered and dismembered at this location.

Dahmer also brought Steven Tuomi's body here after he beat him to death at the Ambassador Hotel.

His modus operandi was consistent. After luring his victims back to the house, he would drug them with sleeping pills and then strangle them to death.

To cover up the crimes, he dismembered their bodies, removed their flesh, and then broke their bones down into smaller pieces using a sledgehammer.

The remains of Tuomi, Doxtator, and Guerroro have never been found.

Dahmer preserved Sears' skull and stored it in his work locker for nine months. He then brought it with him when he moved to 924 North 25th Street in May 1990.

Catherine Jemima Hughes

Catherine Jemima Hughes was a religious widow who lived by herself. Her husband, Hubert Dahmer, passed away in May 1971.

When Dahmer first moved to West Alis, he accompanied his grandmother to church every Sunday in the hope that it would "cure" him of his homosexual desires.

Hughes broke down when detectives told her about the crimes that Dahmer had committed in her basement.

She died at her home on December 25th, 1992, at the age of 88—roughly 18 months after his arrest.