When you hear the word zombie, do you think it’s something that only exists in movies or games? But did you know that there are actually horrifying incidents where people eat human faces?
In this article, we will introduce you to the “Miami Zombie Incident” and other zombie incidents that occurred in the United States. We will also explain the dangerous drugs that are said to be the cause of these incidents.
What was the cannibal incident that happened in Miami?
On May 26, 2012, a shocking incident occurred in Miami, Florida. A naked man attacked a homeless man and bit his face, and did not stop even when a police officer shot him. It was a bizarre assault incident .
This incident was recorded by a security camera for 18 minutes and spread on the internet. The victim suffered serious injuries, losing his left eye, nose, and most of his facial skin, but survived.
This incident was called the “Miami Zombie Incident” and was associated with urban legends about zombies. Did the attacker not die like a zombie? Would the victim become a zombie? These questions arose.
The cause of zombification was a synthetic drug
What was the cause of the incident? Initially, it was reported that the attacker had taken a synthetic drug called “bath salts”. Bath salts are mainly composed of mephedrone, which stimulates the central nervous system and makes people aggressive.
However, this theory was later denied. According to the test results released about a month after the incident, only marijuana was detected in the attacker’s body, and no bath salts or other street drugs, alcohol, prescription drugs, etc. were detected.
Regarding this, Jacob Sullum, an activist against drug regulation and editor of Reason magazine, argued that “this incident became a lesson in ‘Shoddy Drug Journalism’, that is, false reporting that drugs were the cause of the incident”.
What happened to the victim’s face?
The victim, Ronald Poppo, lost about 80% of his face but miraculously survived. However, his life changed drastically.
Because Medicaid (a medical system for low-income people) provided funding for his treatment, Poppo was able to stay in a medical facility indefinitely. He also received $100,000 from donations. His weight increased by more than 20 kilograms.
However, he refused to see his own face. He also did not contact his family. He spent his time playing guitar and watching TV.
Zombie incidents continue to occur
The Miami Zombie Incident was not a one-time thing. Since then, there have been more horrifying incidents where people eat human faces in the United States.
On August 15, 2016, in Tequesta, Florida, a 19-year-old college student stabbed and killed a couple in their 50s and was found by police eating the husband’s face. He did not listen to the police officer who told him to stop, and was finally arrested by a police dog and a stun gun. He said, “I ate something bad. Help me.” When asked by the police officer, “What did you eat?” he answered, “Human.”
The cause of this incident is said to be either flakka or bath salts. Flakka is a cheap drug that is mass-produced in China and sold in white or pink crystals. It causes excessive sweating and makes people want to take off their clothes as well as become violent.
Summary
We have introduced you to the truth and aftermath of the zombie incident and the horror of dangerous drugs. The Miami Zombie Incident was a bizarre assault incident where a synthetic drug caused a man to eat another man’s face. The victim lost about 80% of his face but survived. However, there have been more incidents where people eat human faces since then. You need to be careful of these dangerous drugs.
