Even after more than thirty years, a retired Milwaukee police officer says he still remembers what he saw the night he helped arrest one of the most notorious criminals in U.S. history.
Lieutenant Michael Dubis, a former member of the Milwaukee Police Department, opened up in a recent interview about his experience at the apartment of Jeffrey Dahmer, a man later convicted of multiple serious crimes that shocked the world.
It all started in 1991, when police were called to an apartment building on North 25th Street after a man escaped from one of the units and flagged down officers. Two patrolmen, Robert Rauth and Rolf Mueller, responded and walked into a situation that would soon become a national headline.
Dubis, who was part of the team that arrived shortly afterward, said they were given an unusual warning before entering.
“We were told there were some photos and that there might be something serious in a box,” he said. “That’s not something you expect, even as a detective.”
Once inside, officers began their search and were stunned by what they discovered. The apartment was filled with disturbing signs that something very wrong had taken place.
“Every drawer and cabinet we opened had more proof that we were dealing with a major case,” Dubis said. “It didn’t look like a normal apartment. It felt more like walking into a collection of dark secrets.”
Even now, the memory of what he saw and smelled that night hasn’t faded.
“It had a strange, sweet, chemical smell,” he explained. “I can still remember it like it was yesterday. That kind of smell sticks with you.”
Though he says he doesn’t have nightmares, Dubis admits that the experience still gives him uneasy nights. It’s a memory that hasn’t left him, even after decades of retirement.
During the investigation, the apartment phone rang several times. When Dubis finally answered, it was Jeffrey Dahmer’s father, Lionel, on the line. Dubis remembers reassuring him.
“I told him his son was okay, that he was speaking with detectives, and that he wasn’t harmed,” he said. “That was pretty much the end of the call.”
Jeffrey Dahmer was later sentenced to multiple life terms in prison. He passed away in custody in 1994. His story has since been shared in documentaries and TV shows, including Netflix’s popular series “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.”
While these shows might seem like entertainment to some, for Dubis, they bring back very real memories. “A lot of what they show is close to what really happened,” he said, adding that neighbors had in fact reported odd smells and sounds coming from the apartment long before police arrived.
But perhaps the most powerful takeaway from Dubis’s story is this: for those who were there, like him, it wasn’t just a case it was an unforgettable chapter in their lives.
“You can never truly forget something like that,” he said softly. “It changes you.”
Feature Image Credit: (FOX) (Curt Borgwardt/Sygma via Getty Images)
