Castration catastrophe: Florida man arrested in botched procedure

Suspect was part of eunuch fetish site on dark web

HIGHLANDS COUNTY, Fla. – A Florida man is accused of botching a castration procedure on a man he met through a eunuch fetish site on the dark web, according to the Highlands County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies said the investigation began when someone called 911 then hung up Sunday and authorities traced the call to a home on Orday Road in Sebring.

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When they arrived, 74-year-old Gary Van Ryswyk told them he performed a castration procedure on a man who was left bleeding heavily with a towel over his groin, the report said.

Deputies said Van Ryswyk's had a room in his home that had been set up like a surgical center with medical equipment, painkillers and a camera to record the procedure. The man's body parts were found in a pink container, according to authorities.

Van Ryswyk said he met the victim through a site on the dark web designed for people who have a castration fetish. He told the man he'd performed the procedure on animals and he removed one of his own testicles in 2012, records show. 

He also claimed that he castrated a man in a motel room a few years ago and that it ended with the man being hospitalized but the incident was never reported to law enforcement officials, according to the report.

Deputies said the man in this case was flown to a hospital, where he is listed in stable condition.

Van Ryswyk was arrested Monday on charges of practicing medicine without a license resulting in bodily injury.

Anyone who might have had similar contact with Van Ryswyk is asked to call Detective Roger St. Laurent at 863-402-7250 or email detectives@highlandssheriff.com.

 


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