UPDATE: Grisly cannibalism, murder case update, what we know so far

CORUNNA, MI -- Kevin Bacon first went missing Christmas Eve, only to be found days later in the basement of a Morrice-area home hanging from the ceiling, his body mutilated.

Mark Latunski, 50, was subsequently arraigned on charges of open murder and mutilation.

The Flint Journal-MLive has been covering the story since Bacon’s family first declared Kevin Bacon missing and organized search parties to look for him.

Here is a roundup of what we know so far about the case:

The house at 703 W. Tyrrell Road in Shiawassee County's Bennington Township where police say they recovered the body of 25-year-old Kevin Bacon the morning of Dec. 28, 2019. Bacon was last seen alive on Dec. 24.

Man runs from Latunski’s basement in November

A month before prosecutors said Latunski killed a man he had met on a dating app, police responded to his house after another man was seen fleeing from it wearing only a kilt.

Michigan State Police troopers at about 5 p.m. on Nov. 25 responded to Latunski’s rural house at 703 W. Tyrrell Road in Shiawassee County’s Bennington Township after a neighbor called 911 to report seeing a man running outside wearing only a leather kilt with another man chasing him, according to MSP Special 1st Lt. David Kaiser.

The younger man told police he had been chained in Latunski’s basement, Kaiser said.

“He said he became frightened or spooked and that’s why he ran from the house,” Kaiser said. “Everything that happened in the house was consensual. Nobody wanted to file a complaint or file a police report. No criminal act was discovered and there was nothing we could do as law enforcement.”

The younger man put on clothes and troopers returned the $300 kilt to Latunski, Kaiser has said.

The younger man “advised he did not want a report to go to the prosecutor’s office and he was not looking for any type of criminal charges,” Kaiser has said. The incident was resolved with troopers taking the man away from Latunski’s home, the lieutenant has said.

Troopers did not arrest Latunski on his bench warrant during the Nov. 25 incident. When asked why, Kaiser said the warrant may no longer have been in the Law Enforcement Information Network (LEIN) or Latunski may have already been arrested on it.

Shiawassee County Central Dispatch could not state when the bench warrant was entered into LEIN. Staff at the Shiawassee County Jail, though, said Latunski was arrested on Dec. 10 on the warrant, only to be released the next day.

Kevin Bacon's family released this picture of him to the media. The family says he's been missing since Christmas Eve.

Kevin Bacon disappears

Bacon, a 25-year-old hair stylist from Swartz Creek, went missing on the evening of Dec. 24.

Michelle Myers, Bacon’s close friend and roommate, told MLive she was the last person to see Bacon that night. Myers said Bacon told her around 5 p.m. he was meeting up with a man he’d met on Grindr, a dating app.

At 6:12 p.m., Kevin Bacon texted Myers saying he was going to be out for a while, and he wasn’t sure when he’d be back, but that he was having fun, Myers told MLive.

Karl Bacon, Kevin’s dad, previously told MLive his son was supposed to come over for breakfast around 9 a.m. on Christmas but never showed up. Karl Bacon said he was concerned and called police around 5 p.m.

On Dec. 25, Karl Bacon said he met with police in Swartz Creek and later found his son’s car in the parking lot of a plaza near a Family Dollar. Inside the car, police found Kevin Bacon’s phone and wallet, Karl Bacon said. The following day, police found Kevin Bacon’s clothes in a bag in the backseat of his car, his car keys being the only missing items, according to Karl Bacon.

Grindr sent MLive the following statement about the case:

“We at Grindr are heartbroken to hear about this terrible tragedy, and share our condolences with Mr. Bacon’s family and friends,” reads the statement released by a spokesperson for Grindr. “While for privacy reasons we do not offer public comment on individual user accounts, we remain fully committed to working with law enforcement in the event of any investigation.”

Pamela Bacon and Karl Bacon talk to a friend of Kevin Bacon about his disappearance on Christmas Eve 2019.

Family spends day searching for Bacon

On Friday, Dec. 27, Bacon’s family and friends formed search parties to look for him. At the time, police would not confirm he was missing, but the family alerted multiple media organizations.

Search parties combed the Swartz Creek area throughout the day.

Around 3 p.m. on Friday, the search parties were looking in the area of Sports Creek Raceway, located 4290 Morrish Road in Swartz Creek, after someone claimed they saw drops of blood in the area.

Police also arrived to search the area. The search was called off when it yielded no results.

The body of missing 25-year-old Kevin Bacon was discovered in this residence in the 700 block of W. Tyrrell Road in Shiawassee County’s Bennington Township on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019.

Body found

Bacon was found dead the morning of Saturday, Dec. 28, at a house in Bennington Township in Shiawassee County near Morrice. Police arrested the 50-year-old man they encountered there on an open murder charge, police confirmed.

At the time, police did not disclose additional details, such as how they discovered Bacon, how he was killed, or his association, if any, with the suspect.

Mark Latunski’s booking photo provided by the Shiawassee County Sheriff’s Office.

Mark Latunski arraigned on murder and mutilation charges

Mark Latunski, 50, was arraigned in 66th District Court on Monday, Dec. 30 on one count of open murder and one count of mutilation of a human body.

When asked if his name was Mark Latunski, he said that was not his name, that his name was “Edgar Thomas Hill" and that Mark Latunksi was his nephew.

Court records reveal Latunski has a long history of mental illness.

Latunski was known to stop taking the medication prescribed to treat his mental health illnesses, according to records from the 66th District and 35th Circuit courts.

A motion filed Aug. 22 by former wife Emily Latunski to suspend Mark Latunski’s parenting time states he was diagnosed with major depression, paranoid schizophrenia and traits of a personality disorder in 2010 and 2012.

"(Mark Latunski) has a history of mental illness and has been hospitalized in the Owosso Mental Stress unit,” according to the Aug. 22 motion. “(Mark Latunski) has a history of going off his medication.”

Shiawassee County resident Mark Latunski, 50, was charged with one count of open murder and one count of mutilation of a human body, on Monday, Dec. 30, by Judge Ward L. Clarkson at the 66th District Court in Corunna following the death of Kevin Bacon, 25, who was reported missing on Christmas Day. (Sean Proctor | MLive.com)Sean Proctor | MLive.com

Grisly details released

On Monday, Jan. 6, The Flint Journal-MLive obtained court transcripts from the hearing where police officers have to offer information on the case to a judge in order to obtain an arrest warrant. The transcripts reveal details about of the killing of Bacon.

Bacon was found dead, hanging from the ceiling of Latunski’s home, located in the 700 block of W. Tyrrell Road. Officers conducted an interview with Latunski on the morning of Dec. 28. Latunski allowed them to enter and search his home. Latunski admitted to killing Bacon by stabbing him in the back and then slitting his throat.

After, Latunski admitted to tying a rope around Bacon’s ankles and hanging him from the rafters on the ceiling. He also admitted to using the knife to cut off Bacon’s testicles and later eating them, the police testimony says.

22 Slain Swartz Creek man remembered at candlelight vigil

Kevin Bacon remembered

Kevin Bacon’s funeral was held on Friday, Jan. 3, at Sharp Funeral Homes, Miller Road Chapel at 8138 Miller Road in Swartz Creek. A candlelight vigil was held later that night.

Kevin Bacon had a love for family, friends, his cats Smokey and Fuzzy, his dog Hannah, as well as doing makeup and hair, according to his family.

He was a graduate of Sharp’s Hair Academy in Grand Blanc and worked as a hairstylist at Uniquely U Salon in Swartz Creek and had also worked at Vintage Hair Salon, JC Penney Hair Salon and Diplomat Pharmacy, per Kevin Bacon’s obituary. He was also attending the University of Michigan-Flint.

Friends also painted the Flint Rock in his honor.

13 Friends of Kevin Bacon paint the Flint Rock in his memory

What’s next

Latunski is scheduled to appear for a probable cause hearing in court at 8:15 a.m. on Jan. 8.

A preliminary examination is set for Tuesday, Jan. 14, in district court.

He is being held in the Shiawassee County Jail without bond.

Read more coverage here:

Court documents reveal gruesome details of Kevin Bacon’s slaying

Man wearing only leather kilt ran from murder suspect’s rural Michigan home in November

YouTuber Jeffree Star donates $20k toward funeral expenses for Swartz Creek man

Murder and mutilation charges filed in death of Swartz Creek man

Parents of slain Swartz Creek man talk about son, homicide investigation

Police confirm location of where missing Swartz Creek man’s body was found

Missing Swartz Creek man found dead; one arrested on murder charge