Miami Cannibal Attack: Victim Identified as Ronald Poppo, 65
UPDATE: Ronald Poppo At Risk of Infection from Rudy Eugene's Mouth; Attended Prestigious Stuyvesant High School in New York
The victim of the horrific Miami cannibal attack has been identified as Ronald Poppo, a 65-year-old man.
Poppo was viciously attacked by 31-year-old Rudy Eugene on Saturday in a brutal assault that saw the top half of the victim's face gnawed and bitten off piece by piece by Eugene.
Poppo has amazingly survived the terrible ordeal but is in critical condition, and reportedly only has his mustache and goatee intact on his face. Images of Poppo with over 75 percent of his face bitten off surfaced on the web but were too graphic to post here.
The cannibal attack saw a naked Eugene, who has been reported as homeless, attacking another half-naked homeless man, Poppo. The attack is being blamed on bath salts.
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Detectives believe Eugene had been high on bath salts, which is a general aromatherapy product used in baths. But when the bath salts are inhaled or injected, the abuser can become high on the substance, driving them to a high similar to "cocaine psychosis".
The attack happened off a highway in Miami at 2 p.m. where the naked human zombie was eventually shot by police 12 times. Police had repeatedly ordered Eugene to stop eating the victim, but after simply growling at the officers and continuing the gory feast, police were forced to forcefully bring the attack to an end. Eugene was killed by the multiple gunshot wounds.
Witness Larry Vega told WSVN: "The guy was, like, tearing him to pieces with his mouth, so I told him, 'Get off!' The guy just kept eating the other guy away, like, ripping his skin."
Vega then went to call police to assist at the scene.
Graphic images have appeared on the internet showing the state of Poppo's face. His nose has been completely torn away, and all the skin from the top half of his head is gone, leaving a horrifying and disturbing image of the brutal attack.
Dr. Paul Adams, from Jackson Memorial Hospital has reported to CBS that when people take bath salts their temperature rises to a high level, and has been known to cause them to rip off their clothes. They can become aggressive and develop into a state of extreme delirium.
Poppo is thought to have been homeless since 1983, and has a series of arrests on his record; mostly for being drunk in public as well as felony arrests for burglary and assault.
Other reports from Eugene's friends and family have portrayed the attacker as not someone who has ever acted in such a violent way before. According to The Miami Herald a former classmate of Eugene's, Victoria Forte said, "The Rudy we know was a nice gentleman with a warm smile and funny. He's not like that at all. We are going to do our part as his friends to not let him go down like this."
Police records show Eugene was arrested numerous times over recent years as well, once for battery, trespassing, and four times for drug-related incidents.
