Shraman Mitra
Netflix’s chilling biographical crime drama series ‘Monster: the Jeffrey Dahmer Story‘ offers viewers a sneak peek into the mind of Jeffrey Dahmer and chronicles the heinous murders he committed between 1978 and 1991. Moreover, the show also chronicles parts of Jeffrey’s childhood and portrays his relationship with his parents, Lionel and Joyce Dahmer.
Although Joyce Dahmer tried to be a good mother to her son, reports say that she fell victim to excessive medicine use, which formed a rift between her and her husband. Nevertheless, if you are intrigued by this case and want to find out how Joyce passed away, we have you covered!
Joyce Dahmer Died From Breast Cancer
Born on February 7, 1936, to Floyd and Lillian Flint, Joyce Annette Flint was described as a cheerful and lively young woman who grew up in the city of Columbus in Wisconsin. Unfortunately, it is unclear when she tied the knot with Lionel Dahmer, but the couple settled down in Milwaukee and looked forward to building a future together. Incidentally, Joyce and Lionel were pretty happy in the initial years of their marriage and even welcomed their first child, Jeffrey Dahmer, on May 21, 1960. As fate would have it, Joyce was put on prescription drugs while pregnant with Jeffrey.
Reports stated that Joyce slowly grew dependent on them. Although she tried being a proper mother to Jeffrey in his growing years, Lionel alleged that his wife eventually turned into a “hypochondriac” and refused to go near Jeffrey as she was scared of getting him infected. Although Joyce later went on to refute such claims, Lionel said things worsened when she got pregnant for the second time. During Joyce’s pregnancy with her second child, David, Lionel suggested she became utterly dependent on prescription drugs and resorted to the use of Equanil, as well as laxatives, sleeping pills, and morphine.
Even though Joyce claimed that the pills were there to calm her down and take her pain away, Lionel maintained that Joyce’s use of such prescription drugs was far from ordinary, adding that she often ingested them in copious amounts. This led to a rift between Joyce and Lionel, as the former maintained her innocence while Lionel stated that he was worried about the baby. The difference in views also led to several verbal altercations, with Jeffrey being the audience to a few of his parents’ fights. Naturally, such an atmosphere at home affected the young boy’s mind, and he mostly stayed to himself while at school.
Eventually, Joyce gave birth to David, and while he turned out to be a healthy baby, her relationship with Lionel was at an all-time low. Still, the pair tried their best to fix their connection, but once things got too complicated to solve, Joyce and David decided to get divorced and go their separate ways. Although their divorce was finalized on July 24, 1978, Joyce was awarded custody of David, while Lionel earned visitation rights. Moreover, he was also ordered to pay alimony to his ex-wife. Lionel went on to marry Shari, who also played a huge role in Jeffrey’s life.
Following the separation, Joyce moved to Fresno, California, where she found work as a manager at a retirement home in the 80s. However, in 1991, she changed professions and went on to manage the Central Valley AIDS Team, which dealt with sexually transmitted diseases in the Fresno area. According to reports, Joyce flew out several times to Milwaukee to meet Jeffrey after his arrest. In 1992, she was named as a co-defendant alongside Lionel and Shari in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Steven Hicks’ family.
Moreover, once Jeffrey was bludgeoned to death in 1994, she fought her ex-husband to get her son’s brain examined. However, she eventually lost the fight in court, and Jeffrey was cremated as per his wishes. Surprisingly, sources state that Joyce even tried to die by suicide after Jeffrey’s conviction, although she failed in her attempt and ultimately passed away from breast cancer on November 27, 2000. At the time of her death, Joyce was still residing in Fresno, California, and was remembered for her exemplary work with HIV and AIDS patients.
Read More: Where is Jeffrey Dahmer’s Step-Mom Shari Dahmer Now?
