More than three decades later, the police lieutenant who helped arrest Jeffrey Dahmer says the memories of what he witnessed in the serial killer’s apartment still haunt him.

Retired Milwaukee police lieutenant Michael Dubis was part of the homicide unit that entered Dahmer’s home in 1991 and uncovered a horror scene that would shock the world. Dubis recently spoke to FOX & Friends about that night, and why it’s stayed with him ever since.

Dahmer, often referred to as the “Milwaukee Cannibal,” murdered and dismembered 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991. His crimes included necrophilia, cannibalism, and preserving human remains, earning him a place among the most notorious serial killers in American history.

While his story has been retold in documentaries and dramatizations, most famously Netflix’s Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, Dubis says the real thing was far more disturbing than anything viewers have seen on screen.

“When we got there, detectives said there were ‘pictures’ in the apartment, and maybe a human head in a box,” he recalled. “That’s pretty far out there, even for a homicide detective. And sure enough, that’s exactly what we found.”

Dahmer’s crimes came to light when one of his intended victims escaped and flagged down police officers Robert Rauth and Rolf Mueller. The officers followed the man back to Dahmer’s apartment, where they discovered a collection of grotesque Polaroid photos and a human head stored in the fridge.

By the time Dubis and the homicide team arrived, it became clear this was no ordinary crime scene.

“There were body parts everywhere,” Dubis said. “Every drawer, every cabinet, we kept finding more. It felt more like we were dismantling someone’s museum than processing a murder scene.”

While he says he doesn’t suffer from full-blown nightmares, Dubis admits that he still has uneasy nights. One thing he’ll never forget: the smell.

“It wasn’t the smell of death,” he explained. “It was sweet, almost chemical. That smell stuck with me. It was still in the room where we stored Dahmer’s belongings. I’ve walked in years later and it hit me all over again.”

Dubis also confirmed that many of the details portrayed in shows and documentaries are accurate, including complaints from neighbors who reported strange noises and foul odors coming from Dahmer’s apartment.

He even spoke briefly with Dahmer’s father, Lionel, who later published a memoir titled A Father’s Story and controversially stood by his son.

“Lionel called several times while we were processing the scene,” Dubis said. “Eventually, I answered. I told him Jeffrey was okay, cooperating with detectives, and not hurt. That was the extent of it.”

Jeffrey Dahmer was sentenced to 15 consecutive life terms in prison. In 1994, just two years into his sentence, he was beaten to death by a fellow inmate.

Despite the passage of time, and countless retellings of the story, Dubis says the reality of Dahmer’s crimes remains as chilling as ever. “You don’t forget something like that,” he said.