How Did Jeffrey Dahmer’s Mom Joyce Dahmer Die? – The new drama series “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” on Netflix is centered on the life of the infamous serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. Along with examining Dahmer’s horrifying murders, the series, which features Evan Peters in the title role, delves into the many nuanced parts of his life, including his early years and family.
In 1978, Joyce, Jeffrey Dahmer’s biological mother, separated from her husband, Lionel. As the mother moved to California after the divorce, she was granted custody of her son David, leaving Jeffrey to remain alone in her home.
Despite Joyce Dahmer’s best efforts, stories claim that she became a victim of excessive medication use, which caused a gap in her marriage. However, if you are curious about this case and want to learn how Joyce died, we can help!
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What Caused Joyce Dahmer’s Death?
Joyce Annette Flint was a happy and vibrant young woman who grew up in the Wisconsin city of Columbus. Joyce Annette Flint was born on February 7, 1936, to Floyd and Lillian Flint. Unfortunately, it is unknown exactly when she wed Lionel Dahmer, but they made their home in Milwaukee and were eager to start a life together. In fact, Jeffrey Dahmer was born to Joyce and Lionel on May 21, 1960, and they were pretty content throughout the early years of their marriage. Fortunately, Joyce was given prescribed medication while carrying Jeffrey.
According to reports, Joyce gradually became reliant on them. Although she made an effort to raise Jeffrey correctly during his formative years, Lionel claimed that his wife finally developed “hypochondria” and stopped interacting with him out of fear of infecting him. Lionel said that things got worse when Joyce became pregnant for the second time, though Joyce later denied such claims. Lionel said that throughout Joyce’s second pregnancy with David, she turned to use Equanil, as well as laxatives, sleeping pills, and morphine and that she eventually became completely reliant on prescription medications.
Joyce insisted that the pills were there to help her relax and relieve her pain, but Lionel stated that Joyce’s use of these prescribed drugs was anything from typical and that she frequently swallowed them in large doses. This caused a wedge between Joyce and Lionel because the former insisted on her innocence while the latter expressed concern for the infant. The disagreement over ideas also resulted in several verbal conflicts, with Jeffrey occasionally watching his parents argue. Such a setting at home undoubtedly impacted the young boy’s psyche, and he tended to withdraw while attending class.
David was eventually born, and although he was a healthy child, Joyce’s relationship with Lionel was at an all-time low. Joyce and David made every effort to mend their relationship, but when things became too challenging to manage, they decided to divorce and part ways. Even though their divorce was finalized on July 24, 1978, Lionel was given visiting privileges while Joyce was given custody of David. Additionally, he was mandated to provide his ex-wife alimony. Shari, who also significantly impacted Jeffrey’s life, was later married to Lionel.
After the divorce, Joyce relocated to Fresno, California, where she worked as the manager of a retirement community in the 1980s. She switched careers and began leading the Central Valley AIDS Team, which dealt with STDs in the Fresno region, in 1991. Joyce reportedly traveled by plane to Milwaukee on many occasions to meet Jeffrey following his incarceration. She was identified as a co-defendant in a wrongful death case brought by the family of Steven Hicks in 1992, along with Lionel and Shari.
In addition, after Jeffrey was fatally bludgeoned in 1994, she fought her ex-husband to have a brain scan performed on her son. She ultimately lost the legal battle, and Jeffrey was cremated following his desires. Surprisingly, according to accounts, Joyce even attempted suicide when Jeffrey was found guilty; however, she was unsuccessful and finally died on November 27, 2000, from breast cancer. Joyce was noted for her outstanding work with HIV and AIDS patients and was still a resident of Fresno, California, at the time of her passing.
