Victim's Skull Exposed After Man Chews Face and Ear in Attack: Police

An elderly man was the victim of a grisly attack where his face was chewed so severely that it left his skully exposed, Oregon police have reported.

Gresham police said officers were alerted to a report of a possible stabbing on the Cleveland Avenue MAX platform at 1250 NE 8th St. at about 2:17 a.m. on January 3.

According to a January 3 police release, witnesses "reported seeing a significant amount of blood" at the time of the attack.

When officers arrived, they found the suspect was still on top of the victim—a 78-year-old man—and continuing to attack him.

Police learned the victim had not been stabbed, but that his ear and part of his face had been chewed with such force that he was suffering serious injuries.

The Gresham police release read: "The injury was so severe that responders could see the victim's skull. Detectives are investigating whether illicit drugs played any part in the suspect's actions."

Detectives believe the suspect gave a fictitious name, "El Baker," and lodged him under that name until authorities learned his real identity.

Through fingerprint comparison, staff at Multnomah County Jail staff were able to determine the suspect was actually Koryn Kraemer, 25, who recently moved to Portland from Georgia.

Kramer is being held on accusations of assault in the second degree, according to Gresham police.

Newsweek has contacted Gresham police for comment.

According to crime reporting data collected by Oregon government officials, there were 6,158 aggravated assaults recorded in Oregon between January 1, 2022, and October 31, 2022.

It added there were 2,165 aggravated assaults in Multnomah County, where Gresham is located, during that same period.

While detectives are investigating whether drugs were involved in the attack, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Oregon ranked last across the country in 2020 in regard to access to treatment for drug addiction.

There have been numerous cases across the U.S. where elderly people have been assaulted.

In October last year, an elderly man in Nebraska was able to fight off a home invasion attempt by an invader wielding a samurai sword.

The man was able to fight the suspect off with a hammer and police were able to apprehend the alleged invader.