Dahmer became fascinated with animal bones at a young age and researched how to clean and preserve them. According to Brian Masters’ book The Shrine of Jeffrey Dahmer, he used to collect huge insects and small animal skulls preserved in formaldehyde.
He was uptight, disengaged, and mostly friendless by the time he was in his early teens. However, it seems that the dissolution of his parents’ marriage and their contentious divorce a few years later may have been the spark for converting these thoughts into deeds. Dahmer states that his compulsions toward necrophilia and murder began around the age of 14. Dahmer began to doubt the stability of his family and existence due to his parents’ frequent disagreements and the ongoing stress in the home.
His drinking issue persisted, and the Army discharged him in the beginning of 1981. Although Dahmer would subsequently be investigated by German police for potential ties to murders that occurred nearby during the time, it is not thought that he committed any murders while serving in the military.
Dahmer went back to his Ohio home after receiving his discharge. Dahmer was sent to live with his grandmother Catherine Dahmer in Wisconsin by his father when he was arrested for disorderly conduct later that year. However, Dahmer’s drinking problem persisted, and the following summer he was charged with indecent exposure. When two youngsters accused him of masturbating in front of them in 1986, he was jailed once more. He was sentenced to a year of probation.
