Zombie-Like Suspect Found Biting Man's Face Off at Gruesome Florida Murder Scene

Sheriff’s deputies in Martin County, Fla., thought they were being called to a routine crime scene. A neighbor had called 911 to report being stabbed while trying to break up a fight. When the first deputy arrived at the scene, she discovered a very disturbing scene unfolding before her.

CBS12.com reports that the deputy found 19-year-old Florida State Student Austin Harrouff lying on top of the male victim, John Joseph Stevens III, in the driveway of his home on Kokomo Lane. Harrouff was “biting the victim on the face, removing the victim’s flesh with his teeth.” It took a multiple deputies, a stun gun, and a police dog to pry the zombie attacker off his victim’s body.

Sheriff William Snyder told CBS 12, “somebody not feeling pain, not responding to a dog bite, repeated stuns from a Taser, taking three to four deputies and officer dog to get him off. That’s somebody with a lot more strength than you would normally encounter.”

He added that the attacker was “grunting and growling” and “making animal noises.”

The victim, John Stevens, was pronounced dead at the scene. His wife, Michelle Karen Mishcon, was found dead in the family’s garage.

Police think Harrouff randomly picked out the home of his victims after spending time drinking with friends at a local bar. They suspect the use of bath salts or the designer drug flakka, but won’t know for sure until toxicology tests have been completed.

“When we see a case like this, when someone is biting off pieces of somebody’s face, could it be flakka, the answer is it absolutely could be flakka case, we don’t know,” Martin County Sheriff Snyder told CBS Miami.

Harrouff is reportedly in grave condition at the hospital, possibly due to heavy drug ingestion.

The crime scene was an especially gruesome one. Harrouff reportedly used a knife and multiple “weapons of opportunity” found inside the garage.

“Because of the multiple trauma we may never determine the murder weapon. There was too much trauma.. stab wounds,” Sheriff Snyder said.

Jeff Fisher, the Good Samaritan who called 911, tried to rescue his neighbor from the attacker, but he was injured himself and returned home to call for help. He had to be airlifted to St. Mary’s Trauma Center, where he underwent emergency surgery for multiple stab wounds.

Father of the neighbor who tried to help and was stabbed 5 times @CBS12 pic.twitter.com/69FauAh9BU

— Melissa Howell (@MelHowell_CBS12) August 16, 2016