Netflix's new drama, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, focuses on the life of one of America's most notorious serial killers, following his murderous spree which took place over 13 years between 1978 and 1991.
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Although the series is fictionalised, it is based on true events and features real figures from Dahmer's life, including his stepmother Shari Dahmer, who is played by Molly Ringwald. But where is Shari now?
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Who is Shari Dahmer?
Shari Dahmer is the stepmother of Jeffrey Dahmer and the wife of his father, Lionel Dahmer. The pair got married in 1978, following Lionel's divorce from Jeffrey's mother, Joyce Flint.
Shari has spoken openly about her relationship with Dahmer in the years since his imprisonment and death.
Appearing in an Oxygen documentary series, Dahmer on Dahmer, which was released in 2017, she described her stepson as "vulnerable" and said that she wanted to "mother him".
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"When his mother left, and he wanted to stay behind, he became very lonely, and that's when the first murder occurred," she said.
© Photo: Getty ImagesShari was Jeffrey Dahmer's stepmother
Shari also revealed that his excessive drinking was the only worrying thing that stood out about his lifestyle, describing him as a "closet alcoholic". She even recalled a time when she returned home to find him passed out after drinking heavily.
She added that she and her husband would often visit Jeffrey in his Milwaukee apartment, which was "perfectly clean" and "spotless".
Where is Shari Dahmer now?
Shari Dahmer is now in her 80s and lives with her husband in Seville, Ohio, according to The Cinemaholic.
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She said in the Oxygen documentary: "We're no different than anyone else in the world… Nobody bothers us here, nobody picks on us. We've been here 17 years and we're part of the neighbourhood, no more, no less."
© Photo: NetflixRichard Jenkins and Molly Ringwald play Lionel and Shari Dahmer
In a 2004 interview on CNN's Larry King Live, Shari said that she and Lionel chose not to distance themselves from the family name by changing their surnames following the extensive media coverage of Jeffrey's arrest, trial and conviction.
"I'm proud of my name," she said. "I used it in the business world. I use it still. I have no reason to deny who I am. We didn’t do anything wrong."
When asked about the motivation behind the couple appearing on television for the interview, Shari said: "Anything that we could do to prevent another Jeff would be a blessing."
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