He Once Smiled Like Any Child — Then Became One of the Darkest Figures in U.S. History

Photos of smiling children usually symbolize innocence and hope, which is why it’s so unsettling when one later becomes associated with horrific crimes. Few stories have disturbed Americans more than learning that one of the nation’s most notorious killers once seemed like an ordinary child. Jeffrey Dahmer was born in May 1960 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to young parents building what appeared to be a normal life. Early memories described him as lively and curious. But after surgery at age four, relatives noticed a shift — he became quiet, distant, and emotionally withdrawn.

At home, instability grew as his father was often absent for work and his mother struggled with severe mental health issues, creating a tense and uncertain environment. As he grew older, troubling behavior emerged. He developed a fixation on animal remains, collecting bones and dissecting animals — something initially dismissed as curiosity.

In adolescence, he became isolated, drank heavily, and displayed disturbing tendencies that few fully understood. After his parents divorced, he was left alone, and his behavior worsened. In June 1978, shortly after graduating high school, Dahmer committed his first murder. Over the next 13 years, he killed 17 young men, shocking the nation with the brutality of his crimes.

His arrest came in July 1991 after a victim escaped and led police to his apartment, where disturbing evidence was discovered. Dahmer was sentenced to life in prison but was killed by another inmate in 1994 at age 34. His story remains one of the darkest in American criminal history — a reminder that danger can sometimes hide behind an ordinary face.