Virgil Incanto was a mutant serial killer with an ability to consume human flesh particles. He was also lacking the enzymes needed to produce several essential fatty acids. In order to survive, he would regurgitate a phospholipase-containing slime that would break down the fat in his victim's flesh allowing him to consume the free fatty acids before the rest of the body dissolved. Mulder and Scully were called in to investigate the killings following the discovery of a recent victim because of their bizarre nature.
Incanto operated as a Lonely Hearts killer, initially choosing his victims through personalized ads in newspapers before switching to internet chat rooms for plus size women while adopting the online persona of a mature, cultured gentleman. He used various online handles, such as Timid and most prominently 2Shy. His preference was for both practical and sadistic reasons: their body fat could keep him alive longer than that of average sized people, but he also reveled in toying with their emotions in a power play and saw them as perfect targets to seduce, since many of them struggled with weight-related insecurities and were thus easily swayed into a personal meeting with someone who was essentially a stranger after just a few months of online chatting. Incanto would also take whatever valuables his victims were carrying after committing the deed for financial gain.
His background is shrouded in mystery, as Incanto moved frequently and worked freelance. No records or documents related to "Virgil Incanto" could be found in the database, with the name itself likely being an alias chosen due to his penchant for Italian culture (The historical Virgil was a Roman poet, often remembered as a guide through Hell for his fictionalized appearance in Dante's Divine Comedy, while "Incanto" is Italian for "charm", "spell" or, more literally, "enchantment").
On August 29, 1995, the FBI was dispatched to Cleveland, Ohio, when Lauren MacKalvey was found by local police in her car in an alley, partially liquified. Mulder is able to make a connection to the cases of four women in Aberdeen, Mississippi, who all went missing within the span of a month and skims through several e-mails MacKalvey received from Incanto, finding that they all contain excerpts from obscure 16th Italian poems and literature. Due to this, the local PD compiles a list of scholars and associated workers with access to university-level library assets and organize a door-to-door questionaire to narrow down a potential suspect.
Meanwhile, Incanto is stood up by one of his dates, Ellen Kaminksy, and instead solicits Holly McClain, a slightly overweight working girl. Unlike previous victims, McClain puts up a fight and scratches deep into Incanto's hand before she is killed. The next day, he murders Detective Alan Cross when he arrives at his apartment as part of the search and notices Incanto's bandaged wound. Cross's ice-packed and partially consumed body is later discovered by Incanto's landlady, Monica Landis, who is also murdered when Incanto returns from a second date with Kaminsky. Landis' blind daughter Jesse ends up notifying the authorities after she noticed a rancid smell in Incanto's apartment when she went to question him about her mother's whereabouts.
In a desperate feeding frenzy, Incanto visits Kaminsky at her flat, intending to get "one for the road" before he flees the state. She then receives an e-mail notice warning of a wanted killer with an attachment of Incanto's likeness, just before her date forces her to the ground. Mulder and Scully arrive in her condo in time to see her writhing on the floor in pain. After seeing a man running down the street from the apartment's window, Mulder gives chase while Scully tries to remove the slime from Kaminsky's face. When Scully looks for medical supplies in the bathroom, she is suddenly attacked by Incanto, who had actually been hiding inside the whole time, the man outside having just been a graffiti vandal. Following a short and violent struggle, Scully is saved when he is shot by Kaminsky.
Incanto survived the shooting but was in bad shape during his interrogation with Scully a week later. He freely admits to his involvement in 47 cases concerning of missing women across five states, going as far as to state that he was proud of the fact that they were all his victims, showing absolutely no remorse for what he did to keep himself alive. Incanto died in prison from his condition after showing severe skin problems due to the lack of oil and fat in his diet. (TXF: "2Shy")