i *Content Warning: This blog contains descriptions of disturbing actions and murder. Read with precaution*
Hey guys, this post will be about episode one of “Monster”, and I will focus on Dahmer’s almost last victim Tracy Edwards and how the police department initially reacted . Tracy Edwards and his two other buddies was at Club 219, which was a local gay bar near Dahmer’s apartment building. Dahmer first tried to buy both of Tracy’s friends Aron and Don (the friend group was black gay men) a drink, but when Tracy joined the gathering, the conversation changed. Dahmer stated to the men that”tonight he was a man of action” and followed up with asking did they want to take pictures for him. He offered the group fifty dollars each if they allowed Dahmer to do so (not knowing they would possibly become one of his victims). To the friend group, Dahmer insinuated that he was a professional photographer and that he loved taking pictures of his “models.” Tracy stepped up to the job and agreed with Dahmer that he would do it. His friends staring at him in an absurd way, let Tracy leave with Dahmer and from there, Tracy’s night went left.
Reflecting to seeing this in the episode, I would not have let my friend go with a stranger let alone a man of the opposite race during this time because it was a lot of racial wars, mainly between white and black. This would be very suspect to me and I would encourage my friend to stay even if it meant that he would lose the fifty dollars.
Once they got to Dahmer’s apartment. Tracy noticed the smell in Dahmer’s apartment and immediately had a change of heart. He was offered a drink by Dahmer but the drink seemed peculiar to Tracy, it had tiny bubbles floating on top as if it was mixed with soap. Dahmer tried to persuade Tracy to drink this by saying it was just leftover soap but Tracy didn’t like this. Dahmer suddenly cuffed one of Tracey hands and this made Tracey want to leave. He implied that he was going to leave and this moment changed his life forever, Dahmer pulled a meat knife out that he previously used for his past victims and threatened to kill Tracy if he left. This wasn’t so true in real life events, instead of saying he was going to kill Tracy, Dahmer said he would eat his heart. This may be alarming to some readers, but knowing he said this to Tracy sent chills in my body because I can only imagine how Tracy felt in this moment. To him this was life or death, comply with Dahmer or try to escape and risk your life. Tracy chose to conform with Dahmer and laid down with him in his bed (which had a huge blood stain on it with no cover) and uncomfortably Tracy watched TV with Dahmer. After laying for awhile, Tracey tried to persuade Dahmer to go into the living room.
Reader discretion is advised.
Tracy then started to take off his shirt and started to dance for Dahmer encouraging to take his pictures. This was uncomfortable for me to watch because the thought that Dahmer liked this and was thinking of murdering him the whole time was insane. Tracey was posing in sexual positions with his lower part risen in the air and exposing his chest. Dahmer seemed to like this but he forced Tracey back in the room and this is when Tracey attacked Dahmer, hitting him with bedroom and living room amenities. Running out of his apartment, Tracey yells “help, he’s trying to kill me” and Glenda hears this and looks out in the hallway. Seeing Dahmer in distraught and tired she runs back in her room. As naked Tracey was running in the streets, a cop car encountered him and the first thing they did was turn on their lights. Saying “Light it up” and leaving the car with their hands on their gun, created the thought that they thought Tracey was a criminal because he was black. If I saw someone in distraught and frightened, I would not have my hands on my gun approaching them as if they were a criminal. Tracey held his hands up pleading that he didn’t do anything and that he was almost killed. Looking at the cuffs on Tracey the police asked him what did he take and where did he escape from (criminalizing him). Pleading again the second time, Tracey tells the officers he was almost killed.
Once the police arrived to Dahmer’s apartment, they asked Dahmer did he know Tracey and Dahmer emphasized that they were together doing “homosexual things”. I believe he did this to make the cops leave because being gay was not accepted by many during this time. The cops didn’t address the attempted murder allegations and asked for the keys to the cuffs instead, in fact they only suspected Dahmer when he couldn’t find them himself. Searching the apartment, still only looking for keys, they asked where Dahmer put them. When the keys were found, the cops were about to leave only until they noticed polaroids. This was the only thing that made the police officers arrest Dahmer. If they didn’t find hard evidence, they would’ve completely ignored Tracey all because he was black and gay. Thinking that if Dahmer hid those pictures, the police would have completely disregarded Tracey claims. This made me feel like it was injustice in this scene. Although Dahmer was caught in this moment, it was a high chance he could’ve walked because of the police not acting on the murder allegations. This was only the end of the Wisconsin police department not doing their jobs, in upcoming blogs, I will revisit earlier times they let Dahmer off the hook and helped his serial killing spree. Below is what was found in Dahmer apartment when the police looked at the polaroids and after the house was examined by the FBI.
Reader discretion is advised.
The polaroids contained pictures of Dahmer’s victims, some with their heads in a disturbing position, and other pictures without their limbs (included a missing head, legs, and arms). In Dahmer’s apartment, it was 11 bodies in a deep freezer, blood stains, seven skulls, hearts in bags, a severed private part, severed hands, and dismembered torsos. There was also a bin of acid that had deteriorating bones in it. Dahmer bleached all his victim bones with bleach and it was believed that Dahmer also ate some of his victims.
I can’t believe that the police were not going to do anything for Tracey after he just narrowly escaped being murdered. On top of that, I cannot believe that the police did not think that the smell of rotten flesh was something worth inspecting even slightly. That and the blood stain on the bed. Did they even see it? Thank god they saw the polaroids. In the beginning, by almost last victim, I thought you meant second to last but now I see what you meant. Interesting stuff!
After reading this post, it honestly frightened me to see the level of crime that still exists. The fact that Tracey would have been completely ignored solely due to his race and sexuality is sickening- especially because of how discrimination against members of the LGBTQ+ community and people of color still exists. As a young girl of color in the United States this terrifies me to even think about. This really opened my eyes of how the justice system needs revamping to catch criminals like Dahmer.