Jeff Dahmer Wasn’t on the Lease — But DA Michael McCann Was

This is not a true crime site. It’s an examination of the Dahmer case through publicly available records.

Neutrality would be dishonest here with this one. So, I won’t insult you by faking it.

Milwaukee DA Michael McCann, the man who sold the “serial killer” nightmare to the world, shows up in the tenant records for 808 N. 24th Street, the address where Jeff Dahmer supposedly molested 13-year-old Somsack Sinthasomphone. Jeff, the supposed tenant and sex offender, does not.

District Attorney Michael McCann wasn’t just Milwaukee’s top cop; he was also tight with Archbishop Rembert Weakland, the gay prelate running an archdiocese so riddled with abuse scandals it eventually had to declare bankruptcy like a failing casino. By 2011, the lawsuits piled so high the Archdiocese of Milwaukee hit the Chapter 11 eject button. And by 2019, the Church itself was so embarrassed it quietly scraped Weakland’s name off its headquarters like a bad Yelp review.

And if all this sounds insane, buckle in. Because the deeper you go into “Dahmer”, the less it resembles a police investigation and the more it looks like a badly-written prestige drama, greenlit by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and filmed on location in the Twilight Zone.

Meet the Sinthasomphones

The Sinthasomphone family didn’t just parachute into the US from Laos by accident. They were flown in courtesy of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, which …if you’ve read the Catholic scandal ticker for more than five minutes …already sounds like the setup to a grim punchline. 

According to the story, Jeff Dahmer supposedly molested Somsack Sinthasomphone in 1988 and then murdered his brother, Konerak Sinthasomphone, in 1991.

Once in the US, the Sinthasomphone family got cozy with Father Peter Burns, a Roman Catholic priest whose résumé included, surprise, second-degree sexual assault against a minor. He did less than a year in prison, and even that was on work release. His charges? The exact same ones that would later be pinned on Jeff Dahmer.

For more information about Burns, see Bishop Accountability and this hefty 104-page PDF from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

Black and white photo of Father Peter Burns smiling and wearing a Roman Catholic priest's collar.
Father Peter Burns
Court document showing the 1992 conviction of Peter A. Burns for multiple counts of second-degree sexual assault.
FBI Vault, Part 2, Page 95
Mugshot and arrest record summary for Peter A. Burns, a convicted sex offender from Milwaukee County, Wisconsin.
Peter A. Burns - Screenshot from mugshots.com

After Jeff Dahmer was arrested in July 1991, the New York Times even played its part, running a misty-eyed profile to help frame the Sinthasomphone family as tragic props in the unfolding drama. Click on the images to read the article:

So when the official record says Jeff Dahmer was arrested in 1988 for molesting 13-year-old Somsack Sinthasomphone at 808 N. 24th Street, remember: that was the DA’s address, the family was hand-delivered to the US by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, and a priest – and friend of the family –  was doing the exact same thing Jeff Dahmer was accused of.

Nothing to see here.

The Invisible Perp Act Now Starring Jeff Dahmer, Sort Of

Now let’s look at the 1988 arrest itself. The FBI file says Jeff Dahmer was picked up for Second Degree Sexual Assault and Enticing a Child for Immoral Purposes. Big, ugly charges. Serious stuff.

But here’s the kicker: no mugshot per the FBI

They had, supposedly, a child sex offender in custody and decided, nah, let’s not take a picture.

FBI file showing no mugshot taken during Jeff Dahmer’s 1988 felony arrest for child sexual assault.
See the FBI Vault for Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer, Part 2, Page 95

Did they get one in 1986, when Jeff was – according to the official narrative – arrested and charged with lewd and lascivious behavior? No again.

Scanned record of Jeffrey Dahmer’s 1986 arrest for lewd and lascivious behavior, showing no mugshot was taken.
See the FBI Vault for Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer, Part 2, Page 95

Can’t ID the Guy? No Problem, the DA Will Do It for You

Something else…

Somsack Sinthasomphone was 13. Which means cops couldn’t just pull him into a room and get a statement …legally, a parent or relative had to be there. Somebody had to witness this supposed ID, the little walk back to 808 N. 24th Street – the DA’s address –  where it all allegedly happened.

Meanwhile, a guy they told us was Somsack Sinthasomphone’s older brother kept insisting they didn’t even know what Jeff looked like. Imagine a case where the victim’s family can’t identify the guy, but the DA, who lived at the address, swears up and down it’s him.

Pick the Suspect Out of… Thin Air

Here’s Milwaukee police Lt. Scott Schaefer, poker-faced, walking through how 13-year-old Somsack Sinthasomphone supposedly identified Jeff Dahmer. Who’s asking the questions? DA Michael McCann, the same guy whose name shows up on the lease of the crime scene.

Lt. Scott Schaefer: But prior to leaving, I showed SS a number of photographs, including the person who had been identified by the apartment manager, and SS positively identified Jeffrey Dahmer as the person who had taken him to his apartment and taken these photos.
DA Michael McCann: This is what you refer to in police work as a photo array. Is that correct?
Lt. Scott Schaefer: Yes.
DA Michael McCann: And you had Mr. Dahmer’s picture on file from an earlier case where he had indecently exposed himself.
Lt. Scott Schaefer: That is correct.

Sounds airtight, right? Except for one minor snag: as you just saw, the mugshot they claim was used never existed according to the FBI. In 1986, when Jeff Dahmer was supposedly arrested and chargedaccording to the official story – for indecent exposure, Milwaukee police somehow forgot to take a photo.

So what exactly did Somsack “positively identify”? An invisible man? A phantom headshot? Maybe they just held up a blank piece of paper and asked, “This guy look familiar?”

Sorry, it was impossible to write this with a straight face. 

And Then There’s the Konerak Problem

Here’s where the whole thing tips from “sloppy paperwork” into full-on absurdist theater. Take a look at the famous Konerak Sinthasomphone, supposedly murdered by Jeff Dahmer in 1991. Now compare him side by side with his brother Somsack.

Side-by-side comparison of Somsack Sinthasomphone and the photo used to represent “Konerak” Sinthasomphone, revealing they are the same person.
Somsack Sinthasomphone (left) and "Konerak" Sinthasomphone (right)

This is called recycling an identity. One year Somsack Sinthasomphone is “molested” by Jeff. Three years later he’s “murdered.” Same photo, different captions. 

It’s like watching a bad crime show where the producers assume the audience won’t notice they reused the same extra as both “Dead Body #1” and “Suspicious Neighbor.”  

Frequently Asked Questions

Did Jeffrey Dahmer really live at 808 N. 24th Street in Milwaukee?

Public records show the tenant at that address was District Attorney Michael McCann — the very man who prosecuted Jeff Dahmer in 1991. 

Why is the DA Michael McCann’s name listed at the same address tied to Jeffrey Dahmer’s alleged 1988 assault?

That’s the question no one in Milwaukee has ever answered. The address of the supposed 1988 “crime scene” was registered to the DA himself, not to Jeff Dahmer. 

Who were the Sinthasomphone brothers, and what’s wrong with their story?

The 1988 “victim,” Somsack Sinthasomphone, and the 1991 “murder victim,” Konerak Sinthasomphone, appear to be the same person.  

How was the Sinthasomphone family connected to the Archdiocese of Milwaukee?

They were resettled in Wisconsin by the Archdiocese — the same institution tied to Father Peter Burns, a convicted child molester and friend of the family. Burns’s charges mirrored those later attributed to Jeff Dahmer.