Ok, by now most of us know about Rudy Eugene, the 31-year old “zombie” in Miami who ate 75% of a homeless man’s face over Memorial Day weekend. If you haven’t heard the story, check it here, and then subscribe to our blog so this won’t happen again.
Since that initial attack, more stories have poured in from all over the country involving violent murders and cannibalism that have been tied to the drug known as “bath salts” (although Eugene’s toxicology report hasn’t come back yet, leaving police to speculate on his motives based on similar behavior from known users of the drug).
Now, just when the public’s fear had begun to wane a bit, a new story comes out of Louisiana that is eerily similar to that of Eugene’s, and police believe it, too, is connected to the bath salt craze.
Carl Jacquneaux, 43-year old man from Lafayette Parish, was arrested over the weekend after he showed up at a friend’s home, argued with him briefly, then chewed off a chunk of the man’s face. Police were called regarding a “domestic dispute”, and when they arrived discovered that the victim–Todd Credeur–had fended off his attacker with a can of wasp spray. Jacquneaux was already gone by that time, hiding at another friend’s house, whom he briefly took hostage with a knife and gun. Police tracked him down and arrested him and later reported he was under the influence of bath salts. Credeur was treated at the hospital for non life-threatening injuries.
There have been several conflicting reports as to what exactly bath salts are and what they do to the human body. While reactions depend on the specific person, they usually include a sharp spike in body temperature (which leads to the user taking their clothes off in order to cool down, something which can tip off police as to what they’re on before a chemical test is issued), a feeling of invincibility, violent rages, sudden strength, and hallucinations which some liken to LSD effects and others say are more akin to a psychosis.
Because the drug isn’t illegal everywhere–it can be found in gas stations if you know where to look–it’s still relatively easy to come by, and police in Miami say they are seeing an influx of it on the streets. Some legislators are pushing for a ban on the synthetic drug, but until then, we may hear more and more of these cannibalistic incidents.
