Cannibal dubbed 'People Eater' who served his victims' body parts to inmates

Notorious 'People Eater' murdered in jail and served body to inmates

Between 1998–1999 Vargas killed and dismembered several men along rivers and parks in Táchira, admitting to eating muscle and storing human flesh (Image: undefined)

José Dorángel Vargas Gomez, better known as Dorángel Vargas or the "People Eater," is one of Venezuela's most infamous criminals.

His chilling tale spans from a troubled upbringing in rural Mérida to horrific murders on the streets and, years later, a horrifying prison riot that resulted in the death of inmates who were allegedly used as food for others.

Born on 14 May 1957, in the tiny village of Caño Zancudo, Mérida, Vargas was raised in a family of impoverished farmers. His parents were members of the Venezuelan Liberation Forces, patrolling the borderlands with guerillas.

Locals later alleged that Vargas was "possessed by evil spirits" from an early age. He only attended school until the sixth grade, leaving him with minimal formal education.

As a young adult, Vargas distanced himself from his family and began living as a vagrant. He committed petty crimes such as stealing chickens and livestock, establishing a pattern of opportunistic offending.

His first serious encounter with the law occurred in 1995 when he murdered a fellow vagrant, Baltazar Cruz Moreno, and cannibalised the body. After this murder, Vargas was institutionalised at the Peribeca Psychiatric Rehabilitation Institute, where he spent two years receiving treatment, reports the Mirror.

He was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia but was later released, despite concerns about his violent tendencies.

By the late 1990s, Vargas had returned to life on the streets, this time in the city of San Cristóbal in Táchira state.

Between November 1998 and January 1999, he went on a horrifying killing spree along the Torbes River and in Parque 12 de Febrero.

He preyed upon fit men, frequently labourers, sportsmen, and the odd drunk, wielding a metal rod fashioned like a lance or stones to beat them to death.

Women, children, pensioners, and overweight men were reportedly spared owing to his bizarre personal criteria regarding the "quality" of flesh.

Following the slaughter of his victims, Vargas butchered their corpses. Certain portions were devoured, prepared, or preserved in receptacles - whilst others were interred or cast into the river.

He favoured the muscles of the thighs and calves, occasionally utilising tongues in casseroles or extracting eyes to add to broth, but refused to consume hands, feet, noses, and ears.

The enormity of his atrocities was exposed in February 1999 when civil defence personnel discovered the remains of two young men near a park.

Additional investigation revealed six more corpses, alongside containers holding human meat and organs, plus numerous severed heads, hands, and feet in a hovel where Vargas had been residing.

Declared paranoid schizophrenic and legally unaccountable, Vargas was confined in a secure Táchira facility. (Image: undefined)

He confessed to murdering and devouring at least ten men during this timeframe.

After his arrest, Vargas's tale gripped national headlines. The media christened him "The Hannibal Lecter of the Andes," a nod to the fictional cannibal from the renowned book and film franchise.

Psychological assessments determined he was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia with psychopathic tendencies, making him legally unaccountable in Venezuela's justice system.

Due to the lack of an appropriate psychiatric facility for long-term confinement, Vargas was placed in a secure prison in Táchira, where he was kept isolated to prevent further violence.

However, his violent tendencies did not cease despite being behind bars. In October 2016, a month-long disturbance at the Táchira Detention Centre in San Cristóbal spiralled into a full-blown riot.

The overcrowded facility was under gang control, with weapons and drugs reportedly rife, and suspicions of collusion among some officials.

In the midst of the chaos, two inmates - Juan Carlos Herrera Jr. , 25, and Anthony Correa - were brutally killed.

Their families later alleged the men were stabbed, left to bleed out, dismembered, and shockingly, parts of their bodies were fed to other prisoners.

Eyewitness reports and prison investigations suggested that Vargas, already notorious as a cannibal, was enlisted by a gang to carry out the dismemberments. A local investigator reported that some inmates unknowingly ate the flesh, thinking they were consuming fellow prisoners, while others were force-fed.

Those who refused to participate had their fingers chopped off as punishment.

The government acknowledged the fatalities but stopped short of officially confirming the cannibalism allegations, with Prisons Minister Iris Varela declaring that inquiries must be based on scientific proof.

Nevertheless, accounts from inmates and relatives lent considerable credibility to the horrific claims. Currently, Vargas remains isolated in Táchira, under strict surveillance owing to his erratic and dangerous conduct.

He has consistently been forthright about discussing his offences, even confessing in interviews: "I used to eat the thighs, not the nose, ears or hands because they are too hard. If I saw a drunkard sleeping, I would kill him with my spear, cut his head off and feel happy.

"I want to go back there and dig a big hole to bury them. I don't feel ashamed of anything. They have put me in this jail for nothing."