A Christmas Eve Disappearance in Rural Michigan
On Christmas Eve 2019, 25‑year‑old Kevin Bacon left his home in Swartz Creek, Michigan, to meet someone he’d connected with through an online dating app.
When he didn’t show up for breakfast with his family the next morning, they knew something was wrong.
That missing‑person report would lead investigators to a farmhouse in rural Bennington Township and to a crime so disturbing it drew national attention.
Case Snapshot
- Location: Bennington Township, Shiawassee County, Michigan
- Date: Disappearance reported December 25, 2019; body found December 28, 2019
- Victim: Kevin Bacon, 25, hairstylist and college student
- Offender: Mark David Latunski, 50, resident of Bennington Township
- Status: Latunski pleaded guilty; convicted of first‑degree murder and mutilation of a dead body; sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Kevin Bacon and the Meeting That Changed Everything
Kevin Bacon lived in Swartz Creek, near Flint, and was known by friends and family as creative, kind, and deeply involved in hairstyling and makeup work.
Like many people, he sometimes used dating apps to meet others, especially around the holidays when he wasn’t working.
On December 24, 2019, Kevin told his roommate he was going to meet a man he had connected with online and that he wasn’t sure when he’d be home.
When he failed to return or contact his family on Christmas Day, they reported him missing.
That report set off a search that quickly focused on the man he’d gone to meet: 50‑year‑old Mark Latunski, who lived in a farmhouse in rural Shiawassee County.
The Farmhouse in Bennington Township
Latunski’s home sat away from city streets, surrounded by fields and trees.
Neighbors saw it as an ordinary farmhouse in a quiet part of Michigan — until details of what happened there came to light.
On December 28, 2019, investigators went to the property to follow up on leads from the missing‑person case.
Inside the house, they discovered a scene that confirmed their worst fears.
In the basement, they found Kevin Bacon’s body hanging from the ceiling.
Court documents and later reporting revealed that he had been killed and mutilated and that there was evidence Latunski had attempted cannibalism.
The details were graphic enough that law enforcement and media repeatedly warned the public before discussing them.
A Pattern of Red Flags
As investigators dug into Latunski’s past, they found troubling patterns.
- In the months before Kevin’s death, at least two men had fled Latunski’s home and called 911 for help, saying he had restrained them in his basement and they feared for their safety.
- One neighbor recalled a terrified man, covered in blood, pounding on his door and begging for help, saying “he wants to hurt me” about the person pursuing him.
Despite these incidents, no charges were ultimately filed at that time.
Looking back, they read like missed warning signs.
Court records also showed that Latunski had a long history of mental health issues and had, at different points, been found incompetent to stand trial before later being restored to competency through treatment.
The Legal Case: Guilty Plea and Life Sentence
After his arrest, Latunski was charged with open murder and with disinterment and mutilation of a dead body.
Initially, mental competency became a major issue; he was temporarily found unfit for trial, then later deemed competent after treatment.
In September 2022, just weeks before a scheduled trial, Latunski pleaded guilty to the charges against him.
That plea meant there would be no jury trial over whether he committed the acts — only a hearing to determine whether the murder should be classified as first‑degree (premeditated) or second‑degree.
In October 2022, a judge ruled that the killing was premeditated first‑degree murder, citing the planning and actions involved.
In December 2022, the court sentenced Latunski to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus an additional concurrent sentence for mutilation of a dead body.
At sentencing, Kevin’s family members spoke about their grief and anger, emphasizing the loss of a son and brother whose name had been attached to a sensational case he never asked to be part of.
Online Connections and Real‑World Violence
One reason this case stands out is how it combines a familiar modern element — meeting someone via an app — with an extreme act of violence.
Investigators said Kevin had used a dating app to connect with Latunski and willingly went to his home.
There were also indications that the encounter involved consensual kink or fetish play before turning deadly, something that can complicate how people think about risk and blame.
But ultimately, the responsibility for what happened lies with the person who chose to turn that meeting into a murder.
The case underscores how little is sometimes known about someone you meet online, and how quickly a private encounter can become dangerous when one party is hiding violent intentions.
Why This Case Is on True Crime Maps
The Craigslist Cannibal / Latunski case is rooted in a specific place:
- A farmhouse in Bennington Township, far from city streets, where a man used an online connection as a gateway to carry out a killing that shocked his community.
On True Crime Maps, the pin for this case marks that rural property and invites viewers to think about the geography behind the headlines:
a quiet stretch of Michigan farmland, a basement out of sight from the road, and a crime that began with a single decision to drive out there on Christmas Eve.
It’s a reminder that while technology changes the way people meet, the core danger in predatory crimes remains the same: someone willing to exploit trust and privacy to do harm.
When you click this pin, you’re not just looking at where something horrific happened.
You’re looking at the intersection of mental illness, ignored warning signs, and the risks that can hide behind a simple “let’s meet up” message on a screen.
