The Original Reddit Post (2022)
“Dr. Gloves” - Who is he?
r/TrueCrime (Posted by u/waywardkoala 1 year ago)
Warning: Graphic/Sensitive Content NSFW
The "Dr. Gloves" case has been bugging me for a while and I'd appreciate any input y'all have.
A warning - This case is absolutely horrific and involves child abuse, death, and gore. The images on this post have been censored, but are still very disturbing. If you only want SFW "Trace an Object" photos, they are located here: https://imgur.com/a/DY6Q2gv.
In the photos embedded in the text and attached at the end, I have blacked out most of the children's bodies that aren't covered by clothing and anything exceptionally gory. The only other adjustments I've made to the photos are to adjust the brightness and contrast. A link for all of them (and some additional ones) is at the end if you want to do your own digging into it.
Background info:
For those that are unfamiliar with this case, images began circulating online in the mid-2010s that show an unidentified man playing with the corpses of stillborn/miscarried fetuses, abusing a child, and (at minimum) photographing himself messing with children who were severely disabled or comatose. The photos originally appeared on 4chan or deathaddict, a now-defunct forum. From items in the background, the earliest the photos could have been taken was 2014, which would line up with when they appeared on the internet. The photos seem to be taken in a hospital in the US from outlets and other things.
(DG in the "morgue", standing with his back to the closet and the camera placed on a table against the cabinet wall.)
(DG holding a tray containing 3 brains, none of them appear to be fixed in formalin and I could not find an animal brain that is of a similar size and appearance.)
"Dr. Gloves"
All of the photos show the same man, dubbed "Dr. Gloves" for the surgical gloves he wears in most of his photos. There have been some murmurings that his name is Edvin Balyans, although I highly doubt this for reasons I'll get into shortly. The majority of photos show his arms and hands wearing surgical gloves, although a few of the photos show his body from the neck down. In the photos showing his head, he is wearing a black rubber mask (a gimp mask?).
He is a heavier-set white male who is probably between 30-45 y/o. I haven't tried to figure his height out, but he looks to be between 5'8" and 5'11".
What does Dr. Gloves do for work?
From the photos, it's obvious that DG has ready access to both living children and fetal remains, so his working in a hospital seems likely. Some people say he is a child mortician, although the extent of his contact with living children makes me question this assumption.
Personally, I think he is a physician. He could be a nurse, but having access to a room where he could comfortably put on a gimp mask and pose with dead children seems unlikely for a nurse. In some photos, he is wearing scrubs but in most photos, he is wearing a dress shirt. In one photo, he is seen wearing dress shoes with slacks and nicer socks, again this would be odd for a nurse. For similar reasons, I think it's unlikely he is a CNA, patient care technician, or pathologist's assistant.
(DG's dress shoe, slack, and sock.)
There is also the question of the gloves - why is he wearing surgical gloves to interact with the children in the "hospital" setting instead of normal exam gloves? Not only is this impractical and unnecessary, but it also seems wasteful to be changing surgical gloves ($$$) between patients which would be SoP.
Where is Dr. Gloves?
Electrical outlets in the photos place the facility in the US or Canada. There has been some talk that he is/was employed at a children's hospital in California, but I can't find any evidence pointing to California over some other state (see edit). I also think it's worth keeping an open mind to the possibility that the photos were taken at different locations (i.e., two facilities). The photos appear to be taken in three different locations, I'll call them the morgue, the hospital, and the office and go into some detail on each one.
The morgue:
Photos from the morgue are mostly him posing and playing with the remains of stillborn and severely premature fetuses. The room itself appears old and dilapidated. There are some appliances and cabinetry in the room as well as a storage closet. Despite how shabby the room appears, I think it is actually being used as a morgue or autopsy suite and it's not just some storage closet he goes to for the sole purpose of doing what he does.
There is a window in the room that appears to be frosted but it's only directly visible in one photo, however, its reflection is visible in the tile of the adjacent wall in one photo.
I think the name badge with "Edvin Balyans" is photoshopped in. First, why would DG go through the trouble of putting on a gimp mask if he's going to leave his name badge in plain view? Second, the shape of the badge doesn't make sense, even if it is pressed up against the table.
(DG facing the windows and fridges of the morgue. The storage closet would be on the left. If anyone knows what the cart is, please let me know.)
(A photo taken on the wall opposite the windows. The laptop seems to be an HP Stream Professional Laptop, which was released in 2014 and discontinued sometime in the past few years.)
The hospital:
To preface this, I am using the word "hospital" loosely. I don't think all of the photos were taken in the same place since some of the children are obviously in a long-term care facility. The children being in an LTC facility would line up with the specialized beds/chairs and most of the children have tracheostomies without NG feeding tubes.
There is also a photo showing a seemingly normal newborn sleeping in a standard hospital bassinet, so if the photos were taken at the same facility, they probably do both acute and LTC.
The office:
A heads up - these photos are probably the most disturbing and depict child abuse. The photos from the office feature a young girl who appears to be under 5 y/o. She isn't hooked up to any tubing or medical equipment which makes me wonder if the photos were taken in a residence or somewhere outside of the main facility.
I think the "office" photos are taken at his home or some other location. The door's moulding, rocker light switch, and cable TV hookup (maybe?) all seem like things you wouldn't see in a hospital setting. On top of those things, the child in the office photos does not appear in any of the other photos and appears normal and healthy. Plus, picking a young girl up by her hair would undoubtedly elicit a scream that would attract attention.
Cable TV hookup?
Conclusion:
I would appreciate any input y'all have about this case. The FBI has (allegedly) been notified and said nothing is illegal in the photos (again, allegedly).
I think it's possible to approximate a location based on the type of facility alone (pediatric long-term care), but I hope there's something in these photos that will help narrow things down.
If you've made it here, thanks for reading, and feel free to DM me if you want to discuss this case.
Photos (NSFL): https://imgur.com/a/boTtBCi
"Trace an Object" Style photos (SFW): https://imgur.com/a/DY6Q2gv
EDIT - I've removed the bit about California being improbable after several people pointed out the baby blanket is unique to a hospital system in California. That health system has a pediatric subacute care facility (link in comments). If anyone is able to find pictures from inside that facility please share! Thanks so much for the engagement! I really think DG can be identified and that some resolution can be brought to this case. I've also added an album with some "trace an object" style photos that aren't graphic.
(The original thread has been archived on Reddit and is replicated here for a historical record)