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Two women from Florida has been arrested and charged with selling human remains through their curio shop. Oh, and on Facebook Marketplace, as one does.
A 52-year-old woman and a 33-year-old woman have been charged with purchase or sale of human organs and tissue for allegedly buying and selling human remains at her shop, Wicked Wonderland. She and the co-owner of the shop claimed that they have been selling human bones for “several years and was unaware that it was prohibited in the state of Florida,” according to a police affidavit.
“[The 33-year-old woman] confirmed that the store had multiple human bone fragments, all purchased from private sellers, and mentioned she has documentation for these transactions but could not provide it at that moment,” NBC News reports a police affidavit states. “She described the bones as genuine human remains and delicate in nature.”
Orange City Police were alerted to the women selling human remains at their shop by a tip. The tip included pictures from the store’s Facebook page, which, according to the affidavit, “advertised various human bones for sale, complete with pricing information.”
Among the items that were listed were a human rib for $35, a human vertebrae for $35, human skull fragments for $90, a human clavicle and scapula for $90, and a partial human skull for $600.
After seizing the bones, Orange City Police sent them to the University of South Florida’s Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Laboratory for examination. The university came back with results stating that the remains were likely from two different people. They also stated that carbon dating testing suggests one item is hundreds of years old.
“This is something I haven’t seen in the 17 years that I’ve worked for this agency,” Orange City Police Department Capt. Sherif El-Shami told ABC News.
The women would later claim that the human remains were educational models, which can be legally sold in Florida. The 52-year-old owner of the shop who was arrested was released on Friday from Volusia County Jail on a $7,500 bond. It was reportedly unclear whether the other woman had been released from custody.