Officials were stumped after what started as an investigation into a stabbing and arson took a disturbing left turn after an Indiana man admitted that he used his severed penis to start a campfire.
On May 6, the Fort Wayne Fire Department investigated a fire at a detached garage. Around the same time, police responded to a reported stabbing, according to a probable cause affidavit.
The garage’s property owners said a neighbor woke them to alert them about the fire. The owners noticed a family member, 36-year-old Christopher Peden, was missing.
Meanwhile, Fort Wayne police discovered a stabbing victim, who turned out to be Peden, according to court documents. As he was being taken to the hospital, he claimed that he had been stabbed somewhere in downtown Fort Wayne.
Peden also said he had been threatened the day before. According to court documents, Peden later told investigators that he was “dishonest” about the stabbing and “wanted to be truthful.”
