Watch the video: Jeffrey Dahmer. Inside His Messed Up Mind & How He Almost Got Away — Bailey Sarian on YouTube
Bailey Sarian's Jeffrey Dahmer Video: A Long-Form Episode Built Around One Case
Jeffrey Dahmer was arrested in Milwaukee in 1991. Bailey Sarian's episode, published in February 2020, works through the case at length in her familiar format — narrating while doing her makeup — and asks, as its title puts it, how he almost got away with it for so long.
Murder, Mystery & Makeup is the series that made Sarian one of YouTube's biggest true crime creators, and this is its defining episode. At just over an hour, it is longer than most entries in the series, and that extra room is the point: one case, told in sequence, without cutting away to other stories.
The video has drawn 27,765,526 views, making it the channel's best-known episode by a wide margin. Its reach says as much about the format — informal, direct, and easy to follow — as it does about the notoriety of the case itself.
At a Glance
| Video | “Jeffrey Dahmer. Inside His Messed Up Mind & How He Almost Got Away. Mystery & Makeup | Bailey Sarian” |
|---|---|
| Channel | Bailey Sarian |
| Published | February 17, 2020 |
| Length | ~62 minutes |
| Views | 27,765,526 |
| Subject | The Jeffrey Dahmer case in Milwaukee; how the case unfolded and how it finally ended with his 1991 arrest |
What the Video Covers
At a high level, the episode follows the Dahmer case in Milwaukee in chronological order, from his early life through to his arrest in 1991 and the legal outcome that followed. Sarian signposts the timeline as she goes, which helps a long video stay navigable.
The middle of the video is where its title question sits: the episode spends time on the missed opportunities and near misses in the investigation, and on why warning signs did not bring the case to an end sooner. That focus — on how a case can continue despite contact with authorities — is what lifts it above a simple timeline.
It closes with the arrest and its aftermath, and with Sarian's own brief reflections on the case. Throughout, the victims remain the reason the story matters, even when the narration is centred on the investigation.
Strengths
The length suits the subject. At about 62 minutes, the episode has room to keep a complicated, years-long timeline in order without rushing the later stages. For a single-case video, that pacing is a strength.
An accessible way into a difficult case. Sarian's conversational delivery and clear signposting make a heavy subject followable for viewers coming to it for the first time. That accessibility is a large part of why the episode travelled so far.
The central question is well chosen. Framing the video around how the case continued for so long gives the telling a clear thread, rather than treating notoriety alone as the story.
Weaknesses
The format will not suit everyone. The makeup-alongside-narration style is the series' signature, but some viewers will find that combination at odds with the gravity of this particular case. That is a matter of taste the video does not try to resolve.
Compression is unavoidable. Even at an hour, a case with this much reporting, court material, and later coverage can only be summarised. Viewers who want the full record will need the underlying Milwaukee reporting and court history alongside it.
One narrator's selection. As with the rest of the series, this is a single creator's researched telling, not a documentary with interviews or primary footage. Treat it as a clear introduction, not the final word.
Who Should Watch
- Murder, Mystery & Makeup regulars — the series' best-known episode, in its familiar format.
- True crime newcomers — a single, clearly signposted case told in one sitting.
- Viewers interested in investigative near misses — the episode's focus on how the case continued is its strongest thread.
- Long-form video fans — an hour-long, single-case episode rather than a short summary.
8/10
A clear, well-paced long-form episode whose central question gives a notorious case a genuine thread. The signature format will not suit every viewer, but as an accessible introduction it is easy to see why it became the series' defining video.
Source: Bailey Sarian on YouTube (“Jeffrey Dahmer. Inside His Messed Up Mind & How He Almost Got Away. Mystery & Makeup | Bailey Sarian,” published February 17, 2020); case background via contemporary Milwaukee reporting on the 1991 arrest.