Jeffrey Dahmer's father Lionel dies aged 87 in hospice care after years of defending serial killer son and saying he would 'always stick by him'

 Jeffrey Dahmer's father Lionel has died in hospice care at the age of 87. His death comes after he spent his life defending his serial killer son.

An employee at  Medina County Health Department confirmed the death to The U.S. Sun on Tuesday. 

His cause of death was not immediately made available.

It comes almost a year after the death of his second wife Shari, who passed away at the age of 81.

Shari died of complications from health problems on January 13 in a nursing home near the couple’s home in the village of Seville, Ohio.

Lionel had been living out the final years of his life in the village ever since his son's sick crimes were exposed.

Dahmer killed 17 young men and boys in Wisconsin and Ohio between 1978 and 1991, raping and cannibalizing his victims. 

He was convicted in 1992 of his crimes, but murdered in prison two years later at the age of 34.

Dahmer's close bond with his father was portrayed in controversial Netflix series Monster.

Growing up the two would practice taxidermy together, with father and son often dissecting dead animals together. 

This is a breaking news story, more to follow.