YOU'RE WHAT'S FOR DINNER

A GUIDE TO CANNIBALISTIC FETISHES

by Brian J. Kelly - Supervisory Cyber Analyst

The public has long had a fascination with cannibal serial killers, and there is no shortage of material to consume on the topic. Even if only alleged and never proven, there is definitely a curious fascination by many. Infamous individuals include:

• Albert Fish, known by colorful names such as the Gray Man, the Werewolf of Wysteria, the Brooklyn Vampire, the Moon Maniac, and the Boogey Man, Fish was convicted and executed by electric chair on January 16, 1936, for the murders of at least three children.
• Jeffrey Dahmer, also known as the Milwaukee Cannibal or the Milwaukee Monster, killed and dismembered seventeen males between 1978 and 1991. In October 2022, I discussed Dahmer and his community supervision in “Supervising Dahmer: Then and Now”. 
• Armin Meiwes: In 2001, Meiwes, also known as the Rotenburg Cannibal or Der Metzgermeister (The Master Butcher), posted an advertisement on the then-active website The Cannibal Cafe (a now defunct forum for people with a cannibalism fetish). Meiwes's advertisement stated that he was "looking for a well-built 18- to 25-year-old to be slaughtered and then consumed. Meiwes received a response, and proceeded to murder and eat the voluntary victim.
• Gilberto Valle: In 2012, Valle was charged in a case that held the attention of both the media and the public for months. Valle was “a New York City Police Department officer who had discussed on online fetish chatrooms his fantasies about kidnapping, torturing, raping, killing, and cannibalizing various women he knew, and had used a police database to find the addresses of some. Dubbed the "Cannibal Cop" by the media, Valle was convicted by a jury of conspiracy to commit kidnapping and, for the use of the police database, violations of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA). The presiding judge, however, acquitted Valle on the conspiracy charges notwithstanding the verdict, ruling that the prosecution had not proven that Valle's online communications went beyond "fantasy role-play". " - Wikipedia.com Valle was sentenced to time served and one (1) year supervised released on one count of Unauthorized Access to a Law Enforcement Database, in violation of 18 USC 1030(a)(2) and (b).  Valle's supervised release term, which was handled by this author, included computer monitoring and restrictions from accessing sexual fetish websites. "On appeal, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit upheld the judge's judgment of acquittal and further ruled Valle's misuse of the police database did not constitute a violation of the CFAA, thus acquitting him of the lesser charge.” - Wikipedia.com 
• Armie Hammer: In 2021, a series of text messages were posted anonymously via social media (Instagram), allegedly linked to the actor, and contained fantasies of rape, BDSM, and cannibalism. While the text messages were never authenticated, and some claimed to be “selectively redacted to redact consent”, Hammer’s career suffered nonetheless. 

While the topic of cannibalism repulses many, there is still a large demand for related content on the Internet. Anyone can easily find fantasy material relating to cannibalism on user forums like Reddit, and imageboard sites like 4Chan and 8Chan.

Spotlight is a data analysis service provided by IPPC Technologies that uses human verification augmented with artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to validate content captured and flagged by IPPC’s monitoring and analysis solutions. As previously discussed in the August 2023 article “Spotlight Guide to Deviant/Fetish Sexual Interests”, when validating an event, the Spotlight Analyst will provide a descriptor using available terminology (e.g. Nudity, Erotic) as well as canned language that the Spotlight Team has developed to provide the officer guidance into the activity patterns of the person under supervision. If a Spotlight Analyst observes an event that may be indicative of a deviant and/or sexual interest or fetish, the Spotlight Analyst will typically use the canned language term “Deviant/Fetish Sexual Arousal/Interest” followed by a specific paraphilia term, if applicable. Officers could share these concerns, when identified, with the treatment provider as the information may be valuable in ensuring deviant sexual interests are being addressed appropriately and therapeutically.

The following is a list of paraphilias specifically related to cannibalism. Special thanks to Dr Mark Griffiths, my go-to resource for paraphilia information and terminology.  Dr. Griffiths is a Distinguished Professor of Behavioral Addiction at Nottingham Trent University. Download his articles and papers at: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mark_Griffiths2 and follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/DrMarkGriffiths

Vorarephilia: sexual paraphilia in which individuals are sexually aroused by (i) the idea of being eaten, (ii) eating another person, and/or (iii) observing this process for sexual gratification. 

Erotophonophilia: sexual paraphilia in which individuals have extreme violent fantasies and typically kill their victims during sex and/or mutilate their victims’ sexual organs (the latter of which is usually post-mortem). 

Sexual Necrophagy: cannibalizing of a corpse for sexual pleasure. 

Vampirism: sexual paraphilia in which an individual derives sexual arousal from the ingestion of blood from a living person.

Menophilia: sexual paraphilia in which an individual (almost always male) derives sexual arousal from drinking the blood of menstruating females.

Gynophagia: sexual fetish that involves fantasies of cooking and consumption of human females (gynophagia literally means “woman eating”). There is also a sub-type of gynophagia called pathenophagia. This is the practice of eating young girls or virgins. 

Sexual Autophagy: eating of one’s own flesh for sexual pleasure.

IPPC Technologies continues to strive towards predictive and proactive solutions so officers can intervene early, address areas of concern and change behavior. Spotlight’s mission is to provide agencies and officers with streamlined and verified leads, for possible intervention opportunities related to concerning behaviors. For more information on Spotlight, please call IPPC at (888)-WEB-IPPC or contact me directly at bkelly@ippctech.net or by calling (516)341-4201.