New Photos of Ronald Poppo, Face-Eating Victim, Released Post-Surgery

Two weeks after having most of his face chewed off by a crazed Rudy Eugene near the MacArthur Causeway in downtown Miami, victim Ronald Poppo is slowly recovering. Jackson Memorial Hospital says the 65-year-old is awake and alert, and the hospital has released new photos of his face after undergoing...

By Kyle Munzenrieder

June 12, 2012

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "19274298",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17482312",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18711090",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17482310",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18711090",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17482313",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

Two weeks after having most of his face chewed off by a crazed Rudy Eugene near the MacArthur Causeway in downtown Miami, victim Ronald Poppo is slowly recovering. Jackson Memorial Hospital says the 65-year-old is awake and alert, and the hospital has released new photos of his face after undergoing treatment and surgery. Updated: Police may have accidentally been shot by police during the incident.

While the lower portion of Poppo's face remains mostly intact, the upper portion is now covered in scabs and skin grafts. His nose is completely missing. One eye socket is covered in skin, and the other is covered in a gauze pad. You can see a clearer picture of Poppo's face here.

UM/Jackson trauma surgeon Dr. Nicholas Namias and plastic surgeon Dr. Wrood Kassira are part of the team treating Poppo and say he is recovering about as well as could be expected.

In fact, according to the hospital's Twitter feed, Dr. Namias visited Poppo this morning and says the victim has a message for the community: "Go Heat."

Poppo is expected to remain in treatment at Jackson for a few more weeks. Doctors say he is dealing with the emotional trauma well.

"We have mental health professionals to help him with the coping, and he's coping remarkably well," Dr. Namias said.

Update: Doctors also found two holes in Poppo's chest when he came into Jackson. They believe that Poppo may have been hit by a stray bullet while police were firing at his attacker. The holes may be the exit and entry point of the bullet.

We've included a clearer photo of Poppo's face on the next page. Be warned that the photo is graphic.

Follow Miami New Times on Facebook and Twitter @MiamiNewTimes.

KEEP NEW TIMES FREE... Since we started New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Miami, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.