17: Jeffery Dahmer: Breaking Down the Confession

In 1992, I wrote to the Milwaukee Police Department and asked for the Jeffrey Dahmer case files. Weeks later, they mailed me his full confession.

In this episode of UNMARKED, I go inside Jeffrey Dahmer’s confession—page by page—to understand how one of the most notorious serial killers in history developed, escalated, and ultimately got caught.

Using Dahmer’s own words, police reports, and expert insight from forensic psychologist Dr. Eric Hickey, this episode examines:

• 
  How Dahmer’s childhood isolation and psychological profile shaped his behavior
• The role of fantasy, control, and fear of abandonment in his crimes
• Why victims were targeted—and why many disappearances went uninvestigated
• The failures of law enforcement that allowed Dahmer to continue killing

• What Dahmer says—and what he leaves out of his confession

This is not a retelling of the crimes. It’s an analysis of the mind behind them.

If you want to go deeper into the Charles Manson case, my book Charles Manson: The Last Words documents years researching the story and speaking directly with members of the Manson Family — including Charles Manson himself.

Read it here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GQ6QRVQ7

For those who want to examine the evidence directly, complete phone calls and documents are available inside UNMARKED: Case Files, our research portal, along with ad-free episodes.

Join here:
https://www.patreon.com/Unmarked_TrueCrimePodcast

Follow UNMARKED for additional case material, updates, and short-form analysis:
• YouTube: @Unmarked_Podcast
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• Patreon: /Unmarked_TrueCrimePodcast

If you want to follow the cases as I’m working on them, you can find me on Instagram — @jamesbuddyday

UNMARKED: A True Crime Podcast is hosted by Audioboom.