A Budapest hospital worker allegedly collected skulls and a face made of human skin, then admitted to police he cooked and ate some of the remains

A hospital orderly in Budapest has been released from custody despite facing serious allegations involving the collection and consumption of human remains. The suspect, identified as Zsolt S., 30, was taken into police custody on June 17 after a tip led authorities to search his properties, as detailed by TMZ. The prosecution has appealed the release, but the suspect is currently residing with his mother in a village in Borsod county while wearing an electronic tag.

Plain-clothes officers surrounded Zsolt S. as he left his girlfriend’s home, and investigators later uncovered a collection of human body parts that included skulls, a hand, a full lower leg, a brain, and a reconstructed face made from human skin. Among the items found was a heart stored in a jar, which police are still analyzing to determine whether it came from a human or an animal. As highlighted by Daily News Hungary, Zsolt S. reportedly admitted to police that he was fascinated by human body parts and allegedly prepared meals from some of the remains before eating them, including parts of the raw heart.

Before his arrest, Zsolt S. worked as an orderly at the Budai Irgalmasrendi Hospital and had reportedly spoken to friends about his interest in pathology and a habit of dissecting animals. The hospital has denied that the suspect could have obtained human remains from the institution, stating it has no pathology department and that he had no access to such materials, though an internal investigation is underway.

The legal consequences facing Zsolt S. are severe

Zsolt S. has claimed he obtained the remains by stealing from abandoned cemeteries and exhuming bodies at Farkasréti Cemetery. The possession of human body parts in a private home and the act of cannibalism are both treated as serious offenses in Hungary, and when committed by a healthcare worker, the charge becomes aggravated and carries a sentence of one to five years in prison, a pattern of case escalation also seen in cases like a Harris County minivan body discovery elsewhere this month.

Hungarian law does not recognize consent in cases of cannibalism, meaning that even if a person agreed to have a body part removed and eaten, the perpetrator would still face charges such as grievous bodily harm or attempted homicide. The only legal exception applies to situations involving an immediate threat to life, such as being stranded on a deserted island.

The prosecution is pushing for detention, citing the suspect’s history of prior convictions for violent offenses that resulted in community service and financial penalties. While a second-instance court may still order him held, his current release at liberty has drawn international attention, particularly over his unusual requests regarding his own death.

Investigators say Zsolt S. has offered his body to Semmelweis University for scientific purposes and has stipulated that his relatives need not be informed of where his remains are ultimately cremated. A level of advance planning that has surfaced in unrelated cases like a missing person body discovery reported separately this month.

Investigators are still working to determine the source of all the body parts recovered during the searches, and additional charges could be filed once forensic experts finish processing the evidence gathered from his apartment and other locations. The appellate court is expected to issue a final decision on his detention status in the near future.