Australian animal shelter ranger admits trying to sell human toes
An Australian woman has pleaded guilty to offensive conduct involving human remains after she planned to sell on the black market human toes that she had recovered from dog vomit.
The woman was a ranger at an animal shelter in the south-eastern state of Victoria when two dogs regurgitated the toes and other human remains in February 2024, the Australian Associated Press (AAP) reported on Monday.
The dogs had been surrendered to the shelter after the death of their owner, who died of natural causes before his pets ate parts of his body, the agency said.
Prosecutor Melissa Sambrooks said Joanna Kinman was not present when the dogs regurgitated the remains, but searched a bin looking for the digits.
"She located two human toes and took them home and placed them in a jar containing formaldehyde," Sambrooks said, according to the AAP.
She then discussed a plan to sell the toes online with her daughter. The woman reportedly believed she could get as much as $400 Australian ($253 US) for the remains.
Police arrived at her home after a tip-off from an unknown source.
Kinman admitted possessing the remains and intending to sell them online, showing police the jar, which was beside other oddities including an alligator claw, a bird skull, guinea pig trotter and her children's teeth, AAP reported.
Police found Kinman was a member of the "Bone Buddies Australia" Facebook group, commonly used to buy, swap and sell specimens online.
Kinman was an avid contributor to the site, Sambrooks said, and had previously sold "wet specimens" of a stillborn kitten and puppy.
The dead man's relatives are unaware of the crime, with his son choosing to shield them from the investigation, AAP reported.
Kinman, who is yet to be sentenced, faces a maximum penalty of two years in prison.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
2 hours ago
- Washington Post
Eight killed in latest shooting near Israeli and US-supported aid site in Gaza
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — At least eight Palestinians were killed and dozens more wounded on Sunday in a shooting near Israeli- and U.S.-supported food distribution points in the Gaza Strip , according to health officials. Witnesses blamed the Israeli military, which did not immediately comment. The war in Gaza is still raging, more than 20 months after Hamas' Oct. 7 attack ignited it. That attack also set off a chain of events that led to Israel's surprise attack on Iran on Friday.
New York Post
8 hours ago
- New York Post
Wife of Minnesota State Sen. John Hoffman used her body as a ‘shield' to protect daughter during shooting: family
The wife of the wounded Minnesota state senator targeted during an overnight assassination attempt shielded the couple's daughter as the masked gunman opened fire on the family, missing the couple's vital organs by inches, family and reports said. Yvette Hoffman jumped on top of her adult daughter, Hope, while alleged assassin Vance Luther Boetler fired multiple shots at her and State Sen. John Hoffman inside their Minneapolis suburb home early Saturday morning, according to Hoffman's nephew. 'Early this morning, an absolute vile piece of s–t dressed as a cop broke into my aunt and uncle's house and shot him 6 times and my aunt 5 times in a political act of terrorism. My aunt threw herself on her daughter, using her body as a shield to save her life,' Mat Ollig wrote on Facebook. Advertisement One of the bullets narrowly missed the Democratic senator's heart, KARE11 reported. 7 Yvette and Sen. John Hoffman were wounded in a shooting at their Minnesota home on June 14, 2025. Mat Ollig/Facebook Police responded to a 911 call at the residence in Champlin, Minn. just after 2 a.m. and discovered the Hoffmans wounded, rushing them to a hospital where they underwent surgery. Advertisement Ollig revealed his aunt and uncle were out of surgery and in stable condition. Yvette Hoffman was awake and alert in the hospital as of Saturday night, KMSP reported. Hope Hoffman, who is in her 20s, was not hit in the shooting. Bullet holes riddled the front of the Champlin home, the first house he allegedly targeted in his rampage before driving to Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Rep. Melissa Hortman's home in Brooklyn Park. Boelter is accused of fatally shooting Hortman and her husband, Mark, inside their home at around 3:30 a.m. Advertisement 7 The Hoffmans were shot multiple time and underwent surgery. Both are listed as stable. John Hoffman/Facebook 7 Security cameras captured Vance Boelter wanted by the FBI for the shootings. FBI The gunman allegedly posed as a police officer and appeared at the front doorsteps of the Hortman residence and opened fire on the couple, officials announced Rep. Hortman, 55, was pronounced dead at the scene and her husband died at a nearby hospital. Advertisement Brooklyn Park police were notified of the shooting in Champlin and did a check on the Hortmans when they found the masked gunman, wearing a uniform and badge, exiting the home. Officers fired at the gunman, who took cover back inside the home, before he managed to escape. 7 A Champlin police car blocks the road to the Hoffmans' home after the shooting on June 14, 2025. FOX 9 7 The gunman wore a mask and a police uniform and vest during the shootings. FBI Police opened up an urgent search for Boelter, setting up a 3-mile perimeter Saturday morning. A lockdown of homes near the Brooklyn Park shooting was lifted late Saturday, but police urged residents to be alert and not confront any suspicious individuals, and not open doors to solo officers. Boetler's wife, Jenny Boetler, was detained by police for questioning Saturday after being pulled over with several relatives near Onamia, Minn, local KTSP reported. 7 Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman was assassinated alongside her husband at their home in Brooklyn Park, Minn. Melissa Hortman/Facebook Advertisement Boelter was appointed to the non-partisan Workforce Development Council in 2016 by former Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton. Gov. Tim Walz appointed Boelter to the Workforce Development Board in 2019. His term ran out in 2023. Walz called the shootings on both Hortman and Hoffman a 'politically motivated assassination.' 7 Boelter was appointed to the non-partisan Workforce Development Council in 2016 by former Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton. HANDOUT/MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Advertisement Boelter left behind a 'manifesto' listing the names of 70 politicians, including Walz and his Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, and a stack of papers stating 'No Kings' in reference to the nationwide anti-Trump protests, according to police. The apparent hit list included abortion providers, clinics and Planned Parenthood, sources told The Post. Both of the Democrats he targeted were pro-choice. Police are weighing whether Boetler held extreme anti-abortion views, the sources said. Hortman was staunchly pro-choice and led the Minnesota House in passing the PRO Act in 2023, which codified the legality of abortion and other forms of reproductive health care. She also boosted funding for abortion clinics and passed protections for providers.
20 hours ago
What to know about Melissa Hortman and John Hoffman, lawmakers shot in Minnesota
State Rep. Melissa Hortman and State Sen. John Hoffman, who were targeted by a shooter on Saturday, were longtime members of Minnesota's state legislature who spent years working to improve their communities, according to leaders who knew them. Hortman and her husband, Mark, were shot and killed at their home in Brooklyn Park early Saturday by a suspect who posed as a police officer, investigators said. They left behind two children. Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were shot earlier in the morning by the same suspect inside their home at Champlin. The couple, who have a daughter, were rushed to a hospital and underwent surgery, Gov. Tim Walz said. Both state leaders were members of Minnesota's Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), a state party affiliated with the Democrats. Hortman, 55, nee Haluptzok, had the most experience in the state legislature. She earned a BA in political science and philosophy at Boston University and worked as an intern for then-Sen. Al Gore and later Sen. John Kerry, according to her campaign biography. Hortman went on to earn a law degree at the University of Minnesota Law School in 1995 and clerked with Judge John Sommerville. She later earned an MPA from Harvard in 2018. Outside politics, Hortman worked as a private attorney and volunteered her time in the local school board and Sunday school at Saint Timothy Catholic Church in Blaine. She first ran for office in 1998, for the State House of Representatives seat, but lost. After another defeat for the same seat four years later, Hortman was elected to the state's District 47B in 2004. Hortman quickly rose through the ranks of the House, serving as assistant majority leader from 2007 to 2010 and as minority whip from 2011 to 2012. She championed many causes, including reproductive rights and environmental issues. She also pushed for stricter gun control and attended events with gun control advocates, including Everytown for Gun Safety. In 2017, she was named minority leader and became speaker in 2019 after the DFL gained a majority in the House. Hortman spearheaded efforts to pass police reform in 2020 following the George Floyd protests. During this year's session, the state House Republicans and the DFL engaged in a tense standoff over leadership after Republicans gained seats. A DFL boycott ended in February with a power-sharing agreement where Hortman retained the title of minority leader until a March special election created a tie in the House. Hortman and her husband were married for 31 years. Mark Hortman worked as a program manager for nVent Electric, a company that specialized in electronics, particularly green electronics, according to his Facebook and LinkedIn pages. Mark Hortman frequently posted photos and updates about his family on his Facebook page. "A couple of weeks ago, I posted a video showing off how we taught our dog how to ring the doorbell when he wants to come inside. Well, now that dog has figured out that if he wants to play he rings the doorbell and then ding dong ditches us just to get us to come outside and play!," he posted in 2023. The couple was kiled on the same day as the birthday of Melissa Hortman's father, her sister, Lieza Jean Haluptzok, told ABC News. "We loved them dearly; they will be missed. It's a horrible thing. I hope they catch him. And they get justice for what happened. It's devastating," she said Saturday afternoon. Hoffman, 60, was elected to the State Senate in 2012. A Wyoming native, Hoffman earned a bachelor's degree from Saint Mary's University and spent several decades working for various Minnesota businesses and non-profits, according to his campaign bio page. He was the co-founder of Consumer Credit of Minnesota, a non-profit consumer assistance organization, and served on the Anoka Hennepin School Board starting in 2005, his bio said. In 2012, he won the state senate seat for District 34 and would win reelection three more times. He served as the minority whip from 2017 to 2020 and is on the Senate's Human Services committee. "Throughout my career, I have been afforded many opportunities to assume progressive management roles, which have allowed me to gain and implement a unique set of expertise," he wrote on his campaign page.
