Hospital Worker Allegedly Made Meals from Human Remains Taken from Workplace and Cemeteries

Hungarian police say the 30-year-old admitted preparing food from human body parts allegedly obtained from a hospital and abandoned cemeteries

NEED TO KNOW

• Police say the 30-year-old suspect admitted preparing food from human body parts and consuming it
• Investigators allegedly found skulls, a brain, a hand and other remains in his apartment
• Authorities believe the hospital orderly sourced some remains from his workplace and others from abandoned cemeteries in Hungary and Slovakia

A hospital worker in Hungary allegedly collected human remains from cemeteries and his workplace — and admitted to preparing and eating some of the body parts, according to police.

Investigators with Hungary's National Bureau of Investigation arrested a 30-year-old Budapest man on suspicion of the illegal use of human remains, the agency said in a statement shared on the Hungarian Police's official Facebook page. The man was arrested in Budapest on June 17 after authorities received information that he had been storing human body parts at work and at home, according to the Associated Press.

During a search of the man's apartment, authorities allegedly discovered a prepared human face, facial skin, bones stored in a suitcase, a complete lower leg, a brain, a hand, several skulls and a heart preserved in a jar, according to the statement.

Investigators are still determining whether the heart is of human or animal origin, police said, adding that all of the recovered remains will be examined by forensic experts.

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During questioning, the man allegedly admitted that he was “particularly attracted to human body parts” and had prepared food from them and consumed it, according to the statement.

A photo shared of the man's apartment shows animal skulls and spines on display — according to the AP, police said the suspect is “passionate about anatomy and pathology, and likes to dissect animals.”

The man worked as a hospital orderly, according to the AP. Police believe he obtained some of the remains through his work at a hospital and by clandestinely exhuming bodies from abandoned cemeteries in Hungary and neighboring Slovakia, according to the AP, which cited Hungarian authorities.

Police said they seized the suspect's electronic devices and that the investigation remains ongoing. The scope of potential charges could expand once forensic experts determine the origin of all of the recovered remains, according to the AP.