Cannibalism occupies a particularly disturbing place in human history. People have consumed human flesh under radically different circumstances—from starvation and survival to ritual practices and, in extremely rare cases, murder.
But some of the most infamous real-life cannibals were criminals who consumed parts of their victims when survival had nothing to do with it.
These cases have produced some of the most notorious names in true crime: Jeffrey Dahmer, Albert Fish, Andrei Chikatilo, Richard Chase, and others. Yet they were not all alike. Some were serial killers. Some killed only once. Their motives differed, and in several cases even the extent of the cannibalism remains disputed.
That distinction matters. Dismembering a body does not automatically make someone a cannibal, and decades of sensational reporting have caused several murderers to be incorrectly included on lists of famous cannibals.
The following cases have much stronger historical or evidentiary connections to actual cannibalism.
What Is Cannibalism?
Human cannibalism is the consumption of human flesh or organs by another human.
The reasons it has occurred throughout history vary enormously. There are documented examples associated with famine and survival, cultural or ritual practices, and criminal behavior. In forensic literature, voluntary consumption of another person's body outside a survival situation is sometimes described as pathological cannibalism.
Criminal cannibalism is exceptionally rare.
A study comparing cannibalistic and non-cannibalistic serial killers identified just 42 cannibalistic offenders for its sample and emphasized that relatively little empirical research exists on the phenomenon.
The cases below represent some of the most infamous examples.
1. Jeffrey Dahmer — The Milwaukee Cannibal
Few names are more closely associated with cannibalism in modern true crime than Jeffrey Dahmer.
Between 1978 and 1991, Dahmer murdered 17 boys and young men. His crimes involved murder, dismemberment and the preservation of human remains. He also admitted consuming portions of some of his victims.
That last detail earned him one of his most enduring nicknames: the Milwaukee Cannibal.
Dahmer's crimes were finally exposed in July 1991 after Tracy Edwards escaped from his Milwaukee apartment and encountered police. When officers entered the apartment, they discovered photographs of dismembered victims and human remains.
The investigation that followed uncovered the scale of Dahmer's crimes.
He eventually pleaded guilty but insane in Wisconsin. A jury rejected the insanity defense, and he received multiple life sentences.
Dahmer was killed by fellow inmate Christopher Scarver at Columbia Correctional Institution in Wisconsin in 1994.
Why Did Jeffrey Dahmer Practice Cannibalism?
Dahmer later described his crimes as being connected to his desire for control and his fear of his victims leaving him.
Cannibalism was only one component of a much larger pattern that included murder, dismemberment and attempts to preserve parts of victims.
His case has since become one of the most extensively discussed examples of criminal cannibalism. Forensic literature continues to cite Dahmer when examining pathological cannibalism among serial murderers.
2. Albert Fish — The Gray Man
Hamilton Howard "Albert" Fish remains one of the most disturbing criminals in American history.
Known by nicknames including the Gray Man and the Brooklyn Vampire, Fish targeted children and was ultimately convicted of murdering 10-year-old Grace Budd.
Grace disappeared in 1928 after Fish approached her family using the false name "Frank Howard." Pretending that he wanted to hire Grace's older brother, Fish gained the family's trust before convincing them to allow Grace to accompany him to what he claimed was a birthday party.
She never returned.
For more than six years, the case remained unsolved.
Then Grace's mother received a letter.
The anonymous writer described Grace's abduction and murder and included details that eventually allowed investigators to trace the stationery back to Fish. He was arrested in December 1934.
Fish claimed that he had consumed parts of Grace's body, although historians have noted that authorities could not independently verify every detail of his account.
He was convicted of Grace Budd's murder in 1935 and executed at Sing Sing Prison the following year.
Fish has since become one of America's most infamous alleged cannibalistic serial killers.
Read next: The full story of Albert Fish.
3. Andrei Chikatilo — The Butcher of Rostov
Andrei Chikatilo terrorized the Soviet Union for more than a decade.
Known as the Butcher of Rostov and Rostov Ripper, Chikatilo targeted children, teenagers and young women.
His killing spree stretched from the late 1970s until his arrest in 1990.
Chikatilo was eventually convicted of 52 murders. His crimes frequently involved mutilation, and evidence presented during the investigation and trial connected some of the murders with cannibalism. Contemporary reporting on his prosecution specifically described cannibalistic acts among the crimes.
The enormous investigation also exposed serious weaknesses in the Soviet criminal justice system.
Authorities pursued multiple suspects over the years, and one innocent man was even convicted and executed for a murder later attributed to Chikatilo.
Chikatilo was finally arrested in November 1990 after investigators placed him under surveillance.
He was convicted in 1992 and executed in 1994.
The extraordinary number of victims and the brutality surrounding the murders made the Chikatilo case one of the most notorious serial-killer investigations of the 20th century.
Read next: The complete story of Andrei Chikatilo.
4. Issei Sagawa — The Paris Cannibal
Unlike many people on this list, Issei Sagawa was not a serial killer.
His notoriety stems primarily from one murder.
In 1981, while studying in Paris, Sagawa invited fellow student Renée Hartevelt to his apartment under the pretense of having her read poetry.
Sagawa murdered Hartevelt and subsequently consumed portions of her body.
He was discovered after attempting to dispose of her remains and was arrested by French authorities.
What happened afterward transformed an already horrifying murder into an international controversy.
Sagawa was declared legally insane in France and placed in a psychiatric institution. French authorities eventually deported him to Japan.
Japanese doctors subsequently concluded that he could stand trial, but French authorities had already closed the criminal case and would not provide the documents Japanese prosecutors needed to prosecute him.
Sagawa was eventually released.
Rather than disappearing from public life, he became a notorious media figure in Japan, appearing in interviews and writing about his crime.
The extraordinary legal circumstances surrounding his release made Sagawa one of the world's best-known real cannibal cases.
Sagawa died in 2022.
5. Armin Meiwes — The Rotenburg Cannibal
The case of Armin Meiwes was different from virtually every other case on this list.
Meiwes did not secretly stalk an unwilling victim.
He advertised for one.
In 2001, Meiwes posted online looking for a man willing to be killed and eaten. Bernd Jürgen Brandes responded to the advertisement and eventually traveled to Meiwes' home near Rotenburg, Germany.
Brandes consented to what was planned.
Meiwes killed Brandes and subsequently consumed portions of his body.
When authorities discovered the crime, prosecutors encountered an unusual legal problem: German law did not specifically criminalize cannibalism, and Brandes had apparently voluntarily participated in the arrangement.
Meiwes was initially convicted of manslaughter in 2004 and sentenced to eight and a half years in prison.
Prosecutors appealed.
At a second trial in 2006, Meiwes was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.
The Rotenburg Cannibal case became internationally famous because it raised extraordinary questions about consent, homicide and whether a person's willingness to die can reduce another person's responsibility for killing them.
6. Richard Chase — The Vampire of Sacramento
Few serial-killer nicknames were as appropriate as the Vampire of Sacramento.
Richard Chase murdered six people in California between December 1977 and January 1978.
His behavior surrounding the murders involved an obsession with blood. Before attacking humans, Chase had reportedly killed animals and consumed their blood.
That behavior eventually escalated.
During his murders, Chase drank victims' blood and consumed portions of human remains, leading investigators and the press to associate him with both vampirism and cannibalism.
Unlike organized killers who carefully concealed their crimes, Chase left chaotic crime scenes and considerable evidence behind.
Police arrested him in January 1978.
He was convicted of six counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to death.
Chase died in prison in 1980 after intentionally overdosing on medication.
His crimes remain among the most infamous examples of the overlap between serial murder, blood consumption and cannibalistic behavior.
7. Tsutomu Miyazaki — The Otaku Murderer
Between 1988 and 1989, Tsutomu Miyazaki murdered four young girls in Japan.
His victims were between four and seven years old.
Miyazaki's crimes involved abduction, murder, mutilation and abuse of his victims' remains. Evidence from the case also associated him with cannibalism and the preservation of body parts as trophies.
His crimes became a national sensation after his arrest in 1989.
Japanese media dubbed him the Otaku Murderer, partly because investigators discovered a massive collection of videotapes and manga in his room.
That nickname became controversial because coverage of the case contributed to a broader moral panic surrounding anime, manga and otaku culture despite there being no evidence that such interests cause serial murder.
Miyazaki was eventually convicted and sentenced to death.
He was executed by hanging in 2008.
8. Joachim Kroll — The Ruhr Cannibal
Joachim Kroll is far less famous than Jeffrey Dahmer or Albert Fish, but his crimes make him one of Europe's most disturbing cannibal serial killers.
Kroll operated primarily in Germany's Ruhr region.
His murders stretched across roughly two decades, beginning in the 1950s.
He targeted women and girls and eventually confessed to 14 murders, although he was convicted of eight murders and one attempted murder.
His final crime led directly to his capture.
In July 1976, police investigating the disappearance of a young girl arrived at Kroll's apartment.
Evidence discovered there exposed both the murder and Kroll's cannibalistic behavior.
Kroll later admitted that he had consumed portions of victims.
After an extensive trial, he was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1982.
He died in prison in 1991.
Despite the duration of his crimes, Kroll remains relatively unknown outside Germany—which makes his case particularly important when examining serial killers who practiced cannibalism.
Read next: The complete story of Joachim Kroll.
9. Nikolai Dzhumagaliev — Metal Fang
One of the lesser-known names on this list is Soviet serial killer Nikolai Dzhumagaliev.
Born in what is now Kazakhstan, Dzhumagaliev became known as Metal Fang, a nickname inspired by his distinctive metal dental work.
His crimes occurred primarily around the Kazakh SSR during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Dzhumagaliev targeted women and murdered multiple victims. He also mutilated bodies and consumed human flesh.
Authorities finally uncovered the crimes in 1980.
Dzhumagaliev was subsequently committed to psychiatric custody rather than receiving a conventional prison sentence. He later escaped from an institution before eventually being recaptured.
At least ten murders have been attributed to him, with eight women reported to have been cannibalized during the main 1979–1980 period.
Despite the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the case, Dzhumagaliev remains considerably less famous in the West than Dahmer, Chikatilo or Fish.
That makes Nikolai Dzhumagaliev a natural subject for a deeper FrightFuel investigation.
10. Dorángel Vargas — The People Eater
Venezuela has its own notorious cannibal case.
José Dorángel Vargas Gómez, better known as Dorángel Vargas, became known as El Comegente—roughly, the People Eater.
Vargas lived near San Cristóbal in western Venezuela.
During the 1990s, men began disappearing from the surrounding area.
The truth began emerging in 1999 when human remains were discovered near the city. Investigators eventually located Vargas and searched the place where he had been living.
Human remains were discovered there.
Vargas confessed to killing and consuming multiple victims. At least 11 murders were included in his confession, although a larger number have been attributed to him in some accounts.
The case attracted international attention and established Vargas as one of South America's most notorious modern cannibals.
Yet outside Latin America, his name remains relatively obscure compared with many of the criminals on this list.
11. Karl Denke — The Cannibal of Münsterberg
Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Karl Denke was how ordinary he appeared to the people around him.
Denke lived in Münsterberg, Silesia—today Ziębice, Poland—and was regarded by many residents as a respectable member of the community.
People reportedly called him Papa Denke.
Behind that reputation was something very different.
Between 1903 and 1924, Denke is believed to have murdered dozens of people, many of them poor travelers and itinerant workers.
His crimes were uncovered after a man named Vincenz Olivier escaped an attack in Denke's home in December 1924.
Denke was arrested but died by suicide in his jail cell before investigators understood the full scale of what they were dealing with.
A subsequent search of his property uncovered human remains, preserved human flesh and records apparently documenting numerous victims. Historical accounts put the number of victims at at least 30.
Stories later circulated claiming Denke had sold human flesh as meat.
That part of the story requires more caution. Historical accounts indicate that investigators disputed claims that he had sold victims' flesh at a local market.
The evidence discovered inside his home, however, firmly established why he became remembered as the Cannibal of Münsterberg.
What About Ed Gein?
Ed Gein is frequently called a cannibal online—but he should not automatically be placed on a list of confirmed real-life cannibals.
There is abundant evidence of Gein's horrific treatment of human remains.
After authorities searched his Plainfield, Wisconsin farmhouse in 1957, they discovered objects constructed from human skin and other body parts. Gein admitted robbing graves and was connected to the murders of Bernice Worden and Mary Hogan.
But mutilating human remains is not the same thing as consuming them.
Despite decades of popular culture merging Gein's crimes with fictional cannibal killers, available historical evidence does not establish that Gein practiced cannibalism.
That is an important distinction.
Gein absolutely belongs among the most notorious criminals in American history—but the evidence doesn't justify automatically labeling him a cannibal.
Read next: The full story of Ed Gein and the crimes that inspired Psycho, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and other horror fiction.
Why Do Some Serial Killers Practice Cannibalism?
There is no single explanation.
Cannibalism has occurred for completely different reasons throughout human history, which makes it misleading to treat every case as the product of the same psychological process.
Among criminal offenders, researchers have examined connections involving sadism, control, sexual motivation, psychiatric disorders and developmental experiences.
A study comparing 42 cannibalistic serial killers with 42 non-cannibalistic serial killers found differences in several background variables, including socioeconomic circumstances during childhood and certain developmental factors.
However, the researchers also stressed how limited scientific understanding of cannibalistic serial murder remains.
In other words, there is no simple profile that explains every cannibalistic killer.
Jeffrey Dahmer's behavior cannot automatically explain Albert Fish.
Albert Fish cannot explain Richard Chase.
And none of those cases explains Armin Meiwes.
Each crime has to be examined within its own circumstances.
Were All Famous "Cannibals" Serial Killers?
No.
That is another common misconception.
Jeffrey Dahmer, Andrei Chikatilo, Richard Chase and Joachim Kroll were serial killers.
Issei Sagawa was not.
Armin Meiwes killed one person.
There are also historical cases of cannibalism involving starvation, warfare, famine and survival that have nothing to do with serial murder.
Perhaps the most famous examples are the Donner Party and the survivors of the 1972 Andes plane crash. In both cases, people consumed those who had already died in desperate attempts to survive.
Putting those people in the same category as a murderer such as Jeffrey Dahmer would ignore the completely different circumstances surrounding their actions.
Frequently Asked Questions About Real-Life Cannibals
Who is the most famous real-life cannibal?
Jeffrey Dahmer is arguably one of the most widely recognized criminal cannibals in modern popular culture. He murdered 17 boys and young men between 1978 and 1991 and admitted consuming parts of some victims.
Was Jeffrey Dahmer really a cannibal?
Yes. Dahmer admitted consuming portions of some victims, and his cannibalistic behavior is documented in forensic literature examining cannibalistic serial killers.
Was Albert Fish really a cannibal?
Fish claimed to have consumed victims, most famously Grace Budd. However, because many details came from Fish himself, some individual claims cannot be independently verified.
Was Ed Gein a cannibal?
There is no solid evidence establishing that Ed Gein consumed human flesh. His crimes involved murder, grave robbing and the creation of objects from human remains, which helped create the misconception that he practiced cannibalism.
Was Hannibal Lecter a real person?
No. Hannibal Lecter is a fictional character created by author Thomas Harris. Real criminal cases have sometimes been compared with Lecter, but Hannibal himself was not a real serial killer.
Are all cannibals serial killers?
No. Cannibalism has occurred under many circumstances throughout history, including survival situations and famine. Criminal cannibalism represents only one category.
Is cannibalism common among serial killers?
No. Cannibalism is rare even among serial murderers. Although some notorious offenders practiced it, most serial killers did not. Forensic researchers continue to study cannibalistic offenders as a distinct and unusual subgroup.
The Dark Reality Behind Famous Cannibal Cases
The reality of cannibalism is considerably more complicated than horror movies make it appear.
Some of history's most infamous real-life cannibals were serial killers. Others committed a single murder. Still other famous cases involved people trapped in catastrophic survival situations where consuming the dead became a last resort.
Even within true crime, the evidence matters.
Jeffrey Dahmer's cannibalism is well documented. Issei Sagawa admitted what he did. Armin Meiwes recorded his crime. Other historical cases depend more heavily on confessions, old investigative records or claims that became distorted as they were repeated.
And then there are criminals such as Ed Gein, whose horrific treatment of human remains eventually caused cannibalism to become attached to his legend despite a lack of evidence that he actually practiced it.
Separating those facts from the mythology makes the real stories even more compelling.
Because when the documented history is already this disturbing, it doesn't need embellishment.
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