José Dorángel Vargas Gomez, also known as Dorángel Vargas or the infamous “People Eater,” stands out as one of Venezuela’s most infamous criminals.
His dark journey began in rural Mérida, where he faced a troubled childhood before venturing into the gruesome realm of street murders and a shocking prison uprising that resulted in casualties being consumed by others.
Born on May 14, 1957, in Caño Zancudo, Mérida, Vargas hailed from a family of impoverished farmers with ties to the Venezuelan Liberation Forces. Locals believed he was plagued by malevolent forces from a young age. Limited to only a sixth-grade education, Vargas drifted away from his family in his youth, engaging in petty crimes like stealing livestock and poultry.
His criminal career took a grim turn in 1995 when he murdered Baltazar Cruz Moreno, a fellow transient, and proceeded to consume his flesh. Subsequently, Vargas was confined to the Peribeca Psychiatric Rehabilitation Institute for two years due to paranoid schizophrenia, only to be released despite concerns about his violent tendencies.
By the late 1990s, Vargas had resumed his deadly spree in San Cristóbal, Táchira state, targeting healthy men with a preference for specific body parts. His macabre acts involved dismembering victims and feasting on their remains, with a particular fondness for thigh muscles and calves.
Vargas’s reign of terror was exposed in 1999 when authorities unearthed multiple bodies, human flesh, and severed body parts at his living quarters. Following his capture, he earned the moniker “The Hannibal Lecter of the Andes” and was deemed legally unaccountable due to his mental health issues.
Despite being incarcerated, Vargas’s violent tendencies resurfaced during a prison riot in 2016, where he was alleged to have participated in dismemberments and cannibalism. The gruesome events unfolded in the Táchira Detention Center, where chaos reigned, leading to the brutal deaths of two inmates and reports of cannibalistic acts within the facility.
Vargas, infamous for his past as a cannibal, was implicated in the prison disturbances, further solidifying his dark legacy. While the government refrained from officially confirming the cannibalism allegations, testimonies from witnesses and families provided substantial evidence.
Currently isolated in Táchira, Vargas remains under close surveillance due to his unpredictable and violent nature. Despite his horrific crimes, he has shown no remorse, openly discussing his acts and expressing a lack of shame for his actions.
