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Home / World

'Cannibal' arrested after killing, eating man named Kevin Bacon

NZ Herald
8 Jan, 2020 12:36 AM3 mins to read

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Mark Latunski is accused of murder and cannibalism. Photo / Supplied

Mark Latunski is accused of murder and cannibalism. Photo / Supplied

Warning: Graphic details

A US man has been accused of committing a grisly murder and consuming some of his victim, after the two men met on dating app Grindr.

Michigan man Mark Latunski, 50, has been charged with one count of open murder and one count of mutilation of a human body after the body of 25-year-old Kevin Bacon was found inside his home on December 28, four days after he was last seen alive.

Bacon's roommate Michelle Myers told police that she had last seen him on Christmas Eve when he left their home to meet a man he'd met on Grindr.

That man was Mark Latunski, a man with a criminal record and an extensive history of mental health complaints.

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Court documents, reported by Fox2 Detroit, show that police found Bacon naked, hanging from his ankles from the rafters of Latunski's home.

Latunksi told police he killed Bacon by stabbing him and slitting his throat, before suspending his body.

WILX10 reported that one of the investigating detectives testified that Latunski later made a sickening admission, telling police he then cut off Bacon's testicles and consumed them.

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"A colourful, vibrant being"

Hairstylist Bacon was described as "compassionate, caring and loving" by roommate Myers, who described her long-time friend as "a colourful, vibrant being" and said "I was incredibly lucky to call him my friend".

Bacon was first reported missing by his father Karl Bacon after he missed their family's annual Christmas breakfast.

Bacon was described as "compassionate, caring and loving". Photo / Facebook
Bacon was described as "compassionate, caring and loving". Photo / Facebook

Karl Bacon then met with police as they searched his son's car, finding his phone and wallet.

He said that his son was "proud of who he was" as a person, reports Michigan Live.

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"He was a proud member of his community and he liked to show it. You could see it in his tattoos and stuff."

Horrendous crime

Official documents show Mark Latunski's life to have been filed with legal interventions concerning his mental illness.

The Daily Mail reported that his ex-wife Emily Latunski filed a motion to suspend his rights to visit their children, citing his major depression, paranoid schizophrenia and traits of a personality disorder.

The motion stated Latunski has "a history of mental illness and has been hospitalised in the Owosso Mental Stress unit ... [and] has a history of going off his medication".

Latunksi's former husband Jamie Arnold told Michigan Live he wasn't aware of his mental health issues until he was arrested last year, for failure to pay child support.

Mark Latunski has a history of mental illness. Photo / Facebook
Mark Latunski has a history of mental illness. Photo / Facebook

"Never in a million years did I think he'd be capable of doing such a horrendous crime.

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"In hindsight, it's easy to sit back and speculate but at the time you're going through it there are emotions and feelings involved.

"You don't want to think that the person you fell in love with is some crazy homicidal maniac."

Famous namesake

Karl Bacon said he named his son Kevin because he wanted his son to share his initials.

"I wanted the same initials, but I didn't want Karl Jr, so that made sense.

"The other Kevin Bacon wasn't quite as famous as he is now."

That "other" Kevin Bacon, the famous actor, acknowledged his namesake's passing in a post on Instagram earlier this week.

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The actor Kevin Bacon shared a tribute on social media. Photo / Supplied
The actor Kevin Bacon shared a tribute on social media. Photo / Supplied

"For obvious reasons I'm thinking this morning about the friends and Family of this young person Kevin Bacon," he wrote.

"His life was taken from him much too soon. His love was hairdressing. I bet he would have done a great job on this mess on my head. RIP KB."

Mark Latunski is being held without bond and will face the court later this month.

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