José Dorángel Vargas Gomez, also known as Dorángel Vargas or the “People Eater,” is a notorious criminal in Venezuela with a dark history that began in his troubled rural Mérida childhood and escalated to gruesome murders and a shocking prison riot that resulted in fatalities, with reports suggesting some inmates were used as food.
Born on May 14, 1957, in Caño Zancudo, Mérida, to impoverished farmers involved in the Venezuelan Liberation Forces, Vargas had a turbulent upbringing. Locals believed he was possessed by evil spirits from an early age, with minimal education up to sixth grade.
As he grew older, Vargas drifted away from his family and turned to a transient lifestyle, engaging in petty crimes like theft. His criminal activities escalated in 1995 when he murdered another transient, Baltazar Cruz Moreno, and consumed his flesh.
Following this incident, Vargas was confined to the Peribeca Psychiatric Rehabilitation Institute for two years due to paranoid schizophrenia. Despite his diagnosis, he was eventually released back into society.
In the late 1990s, Vargas resumed his criminal activities in San Cristóbal, Táchira state, targeting healthy men for murder along the Torbes River and in Parque 12 de Febrero. He had specific preferences for his victims, avoiding certain individuals based on his peculiar criteria for flesh quality.
After killing his victims, Vargas would dismember their bodies, consuming some parts while disposing of others in various ways. The extent of his crimes came to light in February 1999 when multiple bodies were found, revealing his gruesome acts of murder and cannibalism.
Captured and labeled as “The Hannibal Lecter of the Andes” by the media, Vargas was deemed legally unaccountable due to his mental health condition. He was placed in a secure prison in Táchira to prevent further violence, where he remained isolated.
Despite being incarcerated, Vargas’s violent tendencies persisted, leading to his involvement in a deadly riot at the Táchira Detention Center in 2016. During the chaos, two inmates were brutally murdered, and reports suggested that Vargas, known for his cannibalistic acts, was recruited by a gang to carry out further violence within the prison.
Currently isolated in Táchira, Vargas is closely monitored due to his unpredictable and violent behavior. He has openly discussed his crimes, showing no remorse for his actions and expressing a desire to return to his past deeds.