Is Tracy Edwards still alive? His chaotic life detailed

Jeffrey Dahmer’s murder spree ended after he failed to subdue Tracy Edwards like he’d done to his seventeen victims. Edward’s escape from Jeffrey’s killing factory, as portrayed in Netflix’s Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, is pretty accurate. 

Dahmer approached three men at a gay bar in Milwaukee and offered them $100 to participate in a photo shoot at his apartment. Jeffrey also offered beer and an opportunity to watch The Exorcist III. Edwards accepted Dahmer’s proposal, and shortly after arriving at the apartment, Tracy realized he was in grave danger. 

Thankfully, Edwards remained calm and vigilant. As soon as Jeffrey lowered his guard, Tracy, with handcuffs dangling from one arm, hit Dahmer over the head and escaped. Edwards flagged down two policemen and led them to Jeffrey’s apartment, where they arrested the killer. 

Tracy’s whereabouts are unknown following his imprisonment

After Tracy Edwards contributed to the arrest and conviction of Jeffrey Dahmer, he was apprehended and extradited to Mississippi to face charges relating to the sexual assault of a teenage girl. After returning to Milwaukee, Tracy sued the city’s police department for failing to act on earlier tips against Dahmer. 

Edwards argued that police inaction led to some of the victims’ deaths and his encounter with Jeffrey. Tracy’s claim for $5 million was dismissed by a Milwaukee court. Edwards wasn’t part of the class action suit against Dahmer’s estate filed by the families of his victims. 

Tracy’s encounters with the law continued: he racked up arrests for failure to pay child support, drug possession, theft, and property damage. In November 2011, Jeffrey faced his most serious charge yet – reckless homicide. 

The indictment claimed Tracy, who’d been homeless for nearly a decade, and Timothy Carr, another homeless man, threw Jonny Jordan over a bridge and into a river, where he drowned. Edwards faced up to 60 years in prison if found guilty. 

“It’s like Humpty Dumpty,” Paul Ksicinski, Edwards’ attorney, described his client’s life after Jeffrey’s trial. “It’s like he was never able to put the pieces back together again. He’s always taken responsibility for things he’s done in the past.”

Edwards pleaded guilty to aiding a felon and was sentenced to 1.5 years in jail, followed by two years of extended supervision. Media reports about Tracy Edwards dwindled following his sentencing. It’s unclear if he’s still alive. 

Edwards said he escaped Jeffrey because the murderer underestimated him

Tracy Edwards saw a different side to Jeffrey Dahmer after they arrived at his apartment. “His face structure seemed different… It was like, it wasn’t him anymore,” Edwards said. 

Per Edwards, Dahmer laid his head on Tracy’s chest, chanted along with the film, and threatened to murder Edwards with a butcher knife. Dahmer also said he wanted to eat Tracy’s heart, Edwards added. 

Edwards slyly rebuffed Dahmer’s attempts to restrain him. He spent four hours at Dahmer’s apartment, searching for an opportunity to escape. With Dahmer oblivious of Edwards’ plans, he let his guard down, allowing his hostage to hit him over the head and flee. 

Tracy ran through the streets looking for assistance, eventually flagging down two police officers and leading them to the apartment. As the police searched for the butcher knife Dahmer used to threaten Edwards, they found photos Dahmer had taken of dismembered human bodies. 

The discovery necessitated a more thorough search of Jeffrey’s apartment, where police found preserved body parts, including jars of male genitalia, and a gallery of Polaroid photos of Dahmer’s victims. 

“He underestimated me,” Edwards said. “God sent me there to take care of the situation.”