Florida woman charged with selling human bones on Facebook Marketplace

Yahoo

14-04-2025

A Florida woman is facing charges after allegedly buying and selling human bones on Facebook Marketplace.
Kymberlee Schopper, a 52-year-old from Volusia County, Florida, was arrested and charged Thursday with the purchase or sale of human organs and tissue, according to court records.
Schopper owns Wicked Wonderland, a local shop in Orange City that offers preservation services, antique and gothic items, and unusual art.
According to the affidavit, the Orange City Police Department has been investigating the case since 2023 after a report was filed alleging Wicked Wonderland's Facebook page advertised human bones for sale.
Officers found the following six items listed for sale, the affidavit says, totaling $850 in supposed value:
Two human skull fragments ($90 total)
Human clavicle and scapula ($90)
Human rib ($35)
Human vertebrae ($35)
Partial human skull ($600)
Police then spoke with co-owner Ashley Lelesi, 33, who told them the shop had been selling human remains for several years but was unaware that was illegal, the affidavit says.
"She 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," the affidavit says. "She described the bones as genuine human remains and delicate in nature."
The officer collected five of the remains with Lelesi's consent. Lelesi told the office that one of the skull fragments had already been sold for $50, according to the affidavit.
When Schopper and Lelesi met with officers again, Schopper said the bones were educational models. Human remains that are educational models can be legally sold in Florida, according to state law.
According to the affidavit, the women were upset when they were not able to retrieve the bones, as they were being held as evidence in the case.
Wicked Wonderland's website says the owners are "a mother and daughter team who revel in the madness of the strange and unusual; the dark and macabre."
"Having both come from a medical background we have a passion for sharing our knowledge and expertise in the preservation and exploration of anatomy and pathology of all organic beings," the pair wrote on the store's website.
Ocean City police had Dr. Jonathan D. Bethard examine the bone fragments at the University of South Florida's Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Laboratory.
The report found the bones were likely from two different individuals, and carbon dating testing suggests one being hundreds of years old.
Schopper was released on Friday from Volusia County Jail on a $7,500 bond. It is not immediately clear if she has retained a lawyer.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com