Since Netflix’s “Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” aired in 2022, it brought back the horrific events that led to one of America’s darkest times. The show focuses on the strings of crimes committed by one of America’s most infamous serial killers, Jeffrey Dahmer.
In addition, the show also focuses on the people around him at the time, including the woman who was his stepmother, Shari Jordan. She was a regular woman who wanted to be a good mom to her stepson and wife to her husband.
However, she became a subject of fascination and intrigue for true crime enthusiasts after the story of her stepson’s heinous crimes became public. Her stepson became known to many as the Milwaukee Cannibal, yet Shari Jordan stood by her family till the end.
Here’s all you need to know about the stepmom of the Milwaukee Cannibal.
Who Is Shari Jordan?
According to reports, Shari Jordan was born in Columbus, Ohio, in the United States of America. She was born to her parents, Howard M. and Oliver Jean Miller Jordan, on May 8, 1953. Aside from their names, there are no further details regarding the identity of Shari’s parents, as she did not reveal them.
Shari kept most details about her early life away from the media. Since there is little information about her early life, details regarding her educational background, achievements, and career elude the public. However, she revealed in an explosive Larry King Live interview in 2004 that she worked in the corporate world.
When Did Shari Jordan Get Married?
Although there are no details regarding how they met, Shari Jordan and Lionel Dahmer tied the knot in 1978. While it is unknown if that was her first marriage, it wasn’t Lionel’s. Before the two exchanged vows, Lionel was married to Joyce Dahmer. However, their marriage ended abruptly, and Lionel decided to give love another trial.
Shari’s husband, Lionel Dahmer, was born in 1963 in West Allis, Wisconsin. While he hasn’t revealed many details about himself, he is famously known as the father of the notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. Shari Jordan and Lionel were happy together for some years after their marriage. However, their world came crashing down soon after.
How Many Children Did Shari Jordan and Lionel Have?
Contrary to many reports, Shari Jordan did not have biological children with Lionel. However, after she became Lionel’s wife, she became the stepmother to his sons from his previous marriage to Joyce. Hence, she became the stepmother to Jeffrey Dahmer and David Dahmer, who were just teens.
According to reports, Lionel’s ex-wife, Joyce, was a hypochondriac. She left Lionel and Jeffrey, and the court granted her husband ownership of the house where they lived until the final divorce settlement. Joyce had custody of their second son, David.
In a two-part Oxygen documentary titled “Dahmer On Dahmer,” Shari disclosed that she first met the infamous Milwaukee Cannibal, Jeffrey, at his mother’s home in Columbus, Wisconsin. Although his mom had moved away, he lived alone in the house.
She described him as “vulnerable” and said she wanted to “mother” him. In addition, she claimed that Jeffrey was “embarrassed and ashamed” of his parent’s divorce but was “very good at disguising his feelings.”
What Did Shari Jordan’s Stepson Do?
Shari’s stepson, Jeffrey Dahmer, was born to Lionel and Joyce as the first of two sons, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on May 21, 1960. He made headlines after two Milwaukee police officers captured him on July 22, 1991. On the night of his arrest, Jeffrey intended to murder a man, Tracy Edwards, who had accompanied him home from the bar.
A more detailed search of his apartment revealed four heads in his kitchen and seven skulls. Some painted, some bleached, in his bedroom. In addition, investigators found two human hearts and a portion of an arm muscle wrapped inside plastic bags upon shelves.
After his arrest, Jeffrey admitted to killing and dismembering seventeen males between 1978 and 1991. His murders also involved necrophilia, cannibalism, and permanent preservation of body parts, especially the skeleton.
Although he was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, schizotypal personality disorder, and psychotic disorder, Jeffrey was deemed legally sane for trial. Jeffrey stood trial for the sixteen homicides he committed in Wisconsin.
However, he bagged fifteen terms of life imprisonment for fifteen of the sixteen homicides on February 17, 1992. While serving his sentence, Jeffrey was beaten to death by a fellow inmate, Christopher Scarver, on November 28, 1994.
Where Is Shari Jordan Now?
Shari Jordan passed away at 81 on January 13, 2023, at a nursing home in Seville, Ohio. The family has not revealed the cause of death. However, online reports suggest she died from complications related to health issues she suffered from in recent years.
Before her death, she was reportedly upset by Molly Ringwald’s portrayal of her in the Netflix series. Also, she didn’t like Netflix’s decision to rehash her stepson’s crimes.
Like Shari Jordan, Jeffrey’s birth mother, Joyce, died in 2000. However, Lionel still lives away from the spotlight in Ohio, though he had reportedly not seen his wife in the months before her death.
Another woman who was closely linked to a serial killer is Adrienne Taub. She married one of the most prolific serial killers in American history, Charles Cullen.