While many teenagers rebel, Jamie Lee Arrow's turbulent youth stemmed from a horrifying secret she learned as a child. At just nine years old, she discovered her father was a murderer and a cannibal.
A Childhood Shattered by a Father's Crimes
Jamie's father, Isakin Drabbad, had separated from her mother when she was very young. She remained in contact with him and grew close to his new girlfriend, Helle Christensen, who became like a second mother. However, the couple's relationship was toxic and violent, with Jamie witnessing several disturbing confrontations.
The horror was foreshadowed one day when Helle served Jamie a meal and stated chillingly: "Enjoy your meal… this is the last time I'll ever cook for you, because Isakin is going to kill me." Tragically, her prediction came true.
In November 2010, Drabbad—a self-proclaimed Satanist—slashed Helle's throat, decapitated her, and consumed parts of her body. Jamie's mother desperately tried to shield her from the truth, banning TV, radio, and even school for a month. "My life as I knew it didn't exist anymore," Jamie recalled.
Discovering the Brutal Truth and Facing Notoriety
As Drabbad's trial gripped Sweden, the gruesome details emerged. After the murder, he used the same knife to cut off Helle's clothes and attempted to have sex with her corpse. Using a knife, saw, and axe, he severed her head and hacked flesh from her limbs, which he fried with cannabis leaves. He reportedly intended to eat her head as well.
Jamie first saw the word "cannibal" splashed across Sweden's biggest newspaper, featuring her father's face. Her curiosity led her to an internet search, and the results horrified her. "I had to stop because it was too brutal and disgusting," she said. "I just couldn't accept that my dad would have anything to do with that word."
Her father's notoriety defined her at school. "I was bullied because of my dad. People called me 'the cannibal's daughter.' That's the thing everyone just knew me as," she explained. The trauma led her down a dark path; she dropped out at 14, fell in with a bad crowd, and became a full-on addict by age 15.
A Chilling Gift and the Path to Closure
Even from a secure mental institution, Drabbad courted infamy. He started a blog, launched an online store selling voodoo dolls signed in his own blood, and formed a relationship with another inmate, "Vampire killer" Michelle Gustafsson.
During a prison visit as a teenager, Drabbad gave Jamie one of his homemade voodoo dolls. He told her it would kill the children who were bullying her. This act, combined with what she describes as his "brainwashing," left her deeply troubled.
Eventually, Drabbad severed contact himself, sending Jamie a long, threatening text message that warned her against reaching out again. While it caused immense pain, it also provided an unexpected release. "It gave me the closure I needed. It was like I needed that to understand how sick it all is," she reflected.
Today, Jamie's mission is to protect her own children from the darkness she endured. "I never want them to be introduced to any kind of darkness," she says, focusing on building a safe and stable future far removed from her father's terrifying legacy.
