Florida woman charged with selling human bones on Facebook Marketplace
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

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Woman to face trial over shopkeeper murder plot
An American woman accused of plotting to murder a shop owner and members of his family in the UK is to face trial this summer. Aimee Betro, 45, was charged after a man was threatened at gunpoint in South Yardley, Birmingham, in September 2019. She has previously denied conspiracy to murder, possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, and a separate charge related to the alleged importation of ammunition into the UK. Ms Betro, originally from the US state of Wisconsin, appeared before Birmingham Crown Court on Wednesday when the case was adjourned for trial on 21 July. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. American woman denies shopkeeper murder plot HM Courts Service
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Urgent appeal issued to find key witness as police investigate city centre incident
Two CCTV images have been issued as police investigate an incident in Manchester city centre. Greater Manchester Police has issued an appeal for information today (June 11). Officers are looking to find the man pictured (above) as they believe he could be a key witness. READ MORE: M60 traffic: Queues on THREE motorways after vehicle overturns READ MORE: Three boys charged with murder after 14-year-old killed in Manchester It follows an alleged theft that took place at Shudehill Interchange on Tuesday, May 20. The incident is reported to have taken place at 6.40am that morning. GMP has issued an appeal for help on social media today and is urging the man pictured to come forward. Anyone with information about the man pictured or the incident is asked to come forward. Join our Court and Crime WhatsApp group HERE A GMP spokesperson added: "We want to speak to this man as we believe he can assist with investigations following reports of a theft at Shudehill Interchange, Manchester on May 20, 2025 at 6:40am. "Any info? Call 101 quoting log 1863 of May 21, 2025, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111." --- For the latest stories and breaking news visit Get the latest headlines, features and analysis that matter to you by signing up to our various Manchester Evening News newsletters here. You can also get all your favourite content from the Manchester Evening News on WhatsApp. Click here to stay up to date with the latest. Follow us on X @mennewsdesk for all the latest stories and updates on breaking incidents from across the region and beyond, as well as on our Facebook page here. If you prefer reading our stories on your phone, consider downloading the Manchester Evening News app here, and our newsdesk will make sure every time an essential story breaks, you'll be the first to hear about it.


Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
Chrome, Safari, Edge Warning—Do Not Use Any Website On This List
Do not use any of these websites. This threat is not new — but it's still dangerous. Users of all popular browsers are warned that a raft of malicious website domains are now targeting shoppers looking for online discounts on products from some of the world's most popular brands. The warning is from Silent Push, which has 'uncovered a massive 'fake marketplace' campaign.' Dubbed 'GhostVendors,' it works through 'online ads that impersonate dozens of major brands and spoof actual products on thousands of fraudulent websites.' The security researchers found more than 4,000 domains, and warn 'this is a significant threat targeting social networks, major brands, advertising companies, and consumers worldwide.' The attack starts with 'malicious Facebook Marketplace ads' which direct shoppers to its websites. Then the attackers stop the ad campaigns, which 'delete all traces of them from the Meta Ad Library.' All the current attacks making headlines, whether unpaid tolls, fake DMV notices, undelivered packages or phantom discounts rely on this mass registration of domains. Many of these last a day or less, sometimes only minutes. Once a domain is flagged it's blocked, but those few minutes or hours are enough for a hard and fast campaign. Then a fresh domain is pulled from the shelves, and they quickly go again. While users can enable safe browsing protections that will help flag malicious sites, most of these still rely on blacklists. AI updates will try to catch threats in real-time, but it's still early days for those upgrades. Meantime, the usual rules apply. Do not shop via links in messages of any kind, access brands only through usual channels, and above all, remember ads for discounts that seem to be too good to be true are exactly that. Malicious ads Silent Push says 'this campaign appears to focus on impersonating brands that buy large amounts of online ads — many of the impersonated brands are huge and well-known for purchasing significant quantities of ads. In contrast, other brands being impersonated are smaller ones that mostly use online sales processes.' The list of brands being impersonated ie extensive: 'Amazon, Costco, Bath & Body Works, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Lowes, L.L. Bean, Tommy Bahama, Rolex, Brooks Running, Birkenstock, Crocs, Skechers, Total Wine, Omaha Steaks, Instacart, Duluth Trading, Advance Auto Parts, Party City, Dollar General, Tractor Supply, Joann, Big Lots, Orvis, Alo Yoga, On Running, Tom Ford Beauty, Rebecca Minkoff, Yankee Candle, Hoka, Thrive Market, Vionic Shoes, Rock Bottom Golf, Vuori Clothing, Goyard, Icebreaker Clothing, NOBULL Sportswear, Alpha Industries, Volcom, Kizik Shoes, Vessi Shoes, Mammut Outdoor Gear, Buffalo Games & Puzzles, Ravensburger Puzzles, Fast Growing Trees, Gurney's Seed and Nursery, Vivobarefoot, KaDeWe, Palmetto State Armory, Natural Life, Luke's Lobster, Cousins Maine Lobster, White Oak Pastures, Seven Sons Farm, Arcade1Up Gaming, EGO Power+ Tools, Cobble Hill Puzzles, Popflex, Argos UK, Huk Clothing, 44 Farms, Tyner Pond Farm, Pipers Farms, Rebel Sport, The Woobles Crochet, Massimo Dutti, and GE Appliances.' Malicious websites The detailed explanation of the exploitation of Meta's marketplace highlights the sophistication of the attack, but as ever the outcomes remain the same. 'Multiple variations of these types of scams exist, but the end goal for each is typically quick cash-outs. Most of these networks abuse large numbers of domains due to the speed with which social networks and other sources respond and block their sites.' Here is a list of some of the domains caught in the act. It's not complete, but will give you a sense of what you're looking for. Use the list as a guide, and don't shop on any of these websites or any websites similar to this list. General Retail & Department Stores Home Improvement & Specialty Retail Footwear Brands Activewear & Athletic Apparel Fashion & Luxury Brands Outdoor & Sporting Goods Food & Grocery Farm & Garden Home & Hobbies Silent Push warns 'web shop and fake marketplace scams a prolific global threat to social networks, advertising networks, major brands, and the consumers who are unfortunate enough to encounter them. It's clear that many different threat actors launch these marketplace scams, and yet, fortunately, many reuse page and server templates to facilitate the speed of their deployments.' Whatever browser you're using, do not trust that these threats will be caught by the browser or blocked by any other software on your device. Do not take any risks.