A 25-year-old Michigan man was allegedly killed by his Grindr date 50-year-old Mark Latunski, according to court documents. Kevin Bacon was found stabbed in the back and hanging upside down from a ceiling with his testicles cut off. According to BuzzFeed News, the incident occurred during Christmas week after Bacon reportedly went missing for three days following a meet up with Latunski on Christmas Eve.  

Authorities discovered Bacon’s naked body after police showed up at Latunski’s home in Bennington Township.  

Court documents reveal the gruesome details of this tragic death.

According to BuzzFeed News, Bacon was already deceased when Latunski allegedly began castrating him.

“Mr. Latunski stated he used a knife, stabbed him in the back one time, then slit his throat,” Det. Sgt. James Moore testified in court. “Afterwards, Mr. Latunski stated he wrapped rope around the ankles of Mr. Bacon, and hung him from the rafters on the ceiling.” 

According to M Live, Latunski had a well-documented long battle with mental illness. In August, his ex-wife filed a court motion to limit the suspect’s time with their children. In the motion, his wife claimed, in 2010, he was diagnosed with depression, paranoid schizophrenia, and personality disorder but was not taking his medication. 

Latunski’s husband of three years, Jamie Arnold, told M Live he had only learned of Latunski’s mental health issues in July when Latunski was arrested for failure to pay child support. 

“To my knowledge, I couldn’t force him to see a therapist or take medication,” he told M Live. “Never in a million years did I think he’d be capable of doing such a horrendous crime.”

Bacon’s parents speak out about their tragic loss. 

When Bacon went missing family and friends began to organize search parties online and offline.

“He said he was meeting someone in Swartz Creek and that he would be back later that night, but he has not returned home. His phone has been off since approximately 6:20pm. It is unusual for him to turn his phone off when he’s out and also not like him to not have his car with him when he meets people. We have reason to believe that he is not safe and is trapped,” his friend Kaylee Jo Mitchell wrote on Facebook. 

After police discovered what had unfolded and revelations about Bacon’s tragic end were revealed, his parents held a press conference urging people to be careful when using dating apps. 

“He obviously got into something he was not prepared for,” his father, Karl Bacon, said in a press conference. “Evil does exist, and it touched us. It’s gut-wrenching to hear the details, and we’re beside ourselves. I don’t think we’ve had the time … to process everything.”

Bacon’s parents feel that Latunski is playing the “mental health card.” 

In a court arraignment, according to M Live, when asked if Mark Latunski was his real name, Latunski responded that his real name was “Edgar Thomas Hill” and that Mark Latunski was actually his nephew. For the Bacon family, who just lost their beloved son, they speculate that Latunski is using his history of mental illness to evade consequences.

“He has used the mental health card to get out of situations in the past and he’s attempting to use it again,” Karl Bacon said. “I would like to see him locked up for the rest of his life in some form or another.”

Arnold said what his husband has done was not something he had imagined ever possible. However, he did acknowledge that his mental health began to spiral in February when he was fired from his job for erratic behavior. 

“I knew something wasn’t right, but I didn’t know it was to that extreme,” Arnold said. “He was progressively saying stranger and stranger things like the neighbors were polluting our water supply. They were all nonsensical. All I knew was I had to get out of the situation.”

Arnold conceded that he knew things were heading in a bad direction, but he could not get Latunski to take his medication nor was there a viable legal option to do so. 

While Latunski’s fate remains uncertain, Bacon’s fate has already been sealed. The case highlights the failures of dating apps to protect their users and how the mental health system in the United States fails its citizens. What is most important is how 25-year-old Kevin Bacon, a hairstylist working toward becoming a clinical therapist, is remembered. 

“Kevin was a colorful, vibrant being both inside and out. He did what he wanted to, when he wanted to, and let very little hold him back,” Michelle Myers, his best friend, said. “He was attentive and could remember all the small details – even all the ones that you forgot. I really could not have asked for a better friend. I was incredibly lucky to call him my friend,””