Highlands County Sheriff's Office/Google MapsA Florida man has been arrested after castrating someone he met on a dark web fetish site for eunuchs.
A deputy from Highlands County Sheriff’s Office arrived at the home of 74-year-old Gary Van Ryswyk’s on August 18 in response to a ‘911 hang-up’.
The authorities say these kinds of responses are common and usually unmemorable, however they described this case as ‘kinda nuts’ because when Van Ryswyk opened the door to the officer he revealed he had just performed a castration on a man.
PixabayA Facebook post from Highlands County Sheriff’s Office explains police found the victim on the bed with a towel over his heavily bleeding groin.
Nearby, they found a pink container which contained ‘two body parts that had recently been much closer to the victim’.
The room was reportedly set up to look like a surgical theatre, with medical equipment and painkillers to hand. There was also a camera set up to film the procedure.
MAN CHARGED AFTER BOTCHED CASTRATION This one is a little … let’s just say sensitive. You could even say it’s kinda…
Posted by Highlands County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday, August 20, 2019
Van Ryswyk told deputies he met the 53-year-old man in question on a fetish site for eunuchs – people who have been castrated. The 74-year-old had told the victim he had experience performing the procedure on animals and had even removed one of his own testicles in 2012.
After the victim was found he was taken to the hospital before later being flown to a regional medical centre. He is said to be listed in stable condition.
The Florida man admitted he had attempted to perform the procedure a week earlier but ‘something came up’ as he started to sanitise the area, meaning they had to delay the operation.
PixabayHe also said he had performed a similar procedure on a man in a motel a few years ago, though Van Ryswyk could not recall that victim’s name. Much like his more recent attempt, the castration ended badly and the man went to hospital. However, law enforcement was not notified.
The 74-year-old was arrested August 19 and charged with practicing medicine without a license resulting in bodily injury, which is a second-degree felony.
His bond was set at $250,000.
Anyone who has information about Van Ryswyk is being urged to call Det. Roger St. Laurent at 863-402-7250 or email [email protected]. Tips can also be left anonymously on the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office app or through Heartland Crime Stoppers at 1-800-226-TIPS or www.heartlandcrimestoppers.com.
If you have a story you want to tell, send it to [email protected].
Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.