Latest news with #BoneBuddiesAustralia
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Yahoo
Australian Mom Of 5 Plotted To Sell Human Toes Chewed By Dogs
An Australian woman pleaded guilty on Monday to a plot in which she attempted to sell two human toes from a deceased man. Joanna Kathlyn Kinman, 48, of Melbourne, was charged with offensive conduct involving human remains, but will avoid jail time despite a magistrate calling the crime 'astounding' and 'distressing.' Instead, she was given a community corrections order that will allow her to serve her sentence in the community, according to the Australian Broadcasting Company. Kinman was employed at a Melbourne animal shelter in February 2024 when two dogs whose owner had died of natural causes arrived. Apparently, the dogs had eaten parts of the man's body before he was discovered and then vomited up some of his remains, including two toes, at the shelter. Kinman did not witness this, but she later found the toes in a wheeled bin at the shelter, took them home and placed them in a jar with formaldehyde, prosecutors told the court, according to Authorities say she then called her daughter and said she planned to sell the toes online and believed she could get the equivalent of $250 for them. Police later showed up at Kinman's home after getting a tip from an unknown source. Authorities say she admitted to possessing the toes and intending to sell them online. 'I thought, cool, it's a toe,' she reportedly told detectives. Officers said that Kinman showed them the toes, which were in a jar. She also had an alligator claw, a bird skull, a guinea pig trotter and her children's teeth. Further investigation showed that Kinman was a member of a Facebook group called 'Bone Buddies Australia,' where she previously sold 'wet specimens' of a stillborn kitten and puppy. Kinman's attorney, Rainer Martini, told the court that he understood why the community might be 'repulsed' by his client's actions. He noted that she is no longer employed at the animal shelter. 'Well, that's hardly a surprise,' Magistrate Andrew Sim responded, according to the Australian Broadcasting Company. Still, Martini said his client's actions were 'a purely spur-of-the-moment decision' and that the consequences have been 'significantly negative to her.' Detective Andrew Austin told the court that the dead man's son was aware that Kinman had taken the toes, but said he had not informed other family members to avoid causing them additional suffering. The judge called Kinman's actions 'entirely odd,' but sentenced her to an 18-month community corrections order rather than time behind bars, the Australian Broadcasting Company reported. 'By the barest of possible margins you will not be going to jail today,' Sim told Kinman. 'You were dealing with body parts of a deceased person. That person would have expected they would have been treated with dignity and respect by any person who came into contact with their remains. You failed to do that.'
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Yahoo
Woman admits trying to sell human toes regurgitated by dogs
An Australian woman narrowly avoided jail on Monday over her plans to sell on the black market two human toes that had been regurgitated by dogs at the animal shelter where she worked. Joanna Kathlyn Kinman, 48, was not present at the animal shelter in the southeastern state of Victoria when the two dogs vomited up the toes and other remains in February 2024. The dogs, which had been surrendered to the shelter, had eaten parts of their owner's body after he died of natural causes; the owner has not been publicly identified. Kinman reportedly told police she had retrieved the toes from a bin and taken them home, where she put them in a jar of formaldehyde. She appeared to believe she could make as much as 400 Australian dollars ($253) by selling them online. When police arrived at her home on an anonymous tip, the Australian Associated Press reported, she showed them other items she had been keeping including an alligator claw, a bird skull, a guinea pig trotter and her children's teeth. Prosecutors said she was an active member of a Facebook group called 'Bone Buddies Australia' where specimens are bought, sold and traded. On Monday, Kinman pleaded guilty to offensive conduct involving human remains at the Ringwood Magistrates' Court in Melbourne, the news agency said. She faced a maximum possible sentence of two years in prison. Magistrate Andrew Sim sentenced her to an 18-month non-custodial sentence, including 150 hours of community service. 'By the barest of possible margins you will not be going to jail today,' Sim told Kinman, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, describing her actions as 'astounding' and 'entirely odd.' Kinman's lawyer, Rainer Martini, told the court that his client 'regretted her actions fulsomely.' He added that Kinman had lost her job and been publicly shamed online by a community that was 'unsurprisingly repulsed by her behavior.' Kinman did not respond to questions from the media outside the court. This article was originally published on
NBC News
17-03-2025
- NBC News
Woman admits trying to sell human toes regurgitated by dogs
An Australian woman narrowly avoided jail on Monday over her plans to sell on the black market two human toes that had been regurgitated by dogs at the animal shelter where she worked. Joanna Kathlyn Kinman, 48, was not present at the animal shelter in the southeastern state of Victoria when the two dogs vomited up the toes and other remains in February 2024. The dogs, which had been surrendered to the shelter, had eaten parts of their owner's body after he died of natural causes; the owner has not been publicly identified. Kinman reportedly told police she had retrieved the toes from a bin and taken them home, where she put them in a jar of formaldehyde. She appeared to believe she could make as much as 400 Australian dollars ($253) by selling them online. When police arrived at her home on an anonymous tip, the Australian Associated Press reported, she showed them other items she had been keeping including an alligator claw, a bird skull, a guinea pig trotter and her children's teeth. Prosecutors said she was an active member of a Facebook group called 'Bone Buddies Australia' where specimens are bought, sold and traded. On Monday, Kinman pleaded guilty to offensive conduct involving human remains at the Ringwood Magistrates' Court in Melbourne, the news agency said. She faced a maximum possible sentence of two years in prison. Magistrate Andrew Sim sentenced her to an 18-month non-custodial sentence, including 150 hours of community service. 'By the barest of possible margins you will not be going to jail today,' Sim told Kinman, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, describing her actions as 'astounding' and 'entirely odd.' Kinman's lawyer, Rainer Martini, told the court that his client 'regretted her actions fulsomely.' He added that Kinman had lost her job and been publicly shamed online by a community that was 'unsurprisingly repulsed by her behavior.'
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Yahoo
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.
South China Morning Post
17-03-2025
- South China Morning Post
Australian woman admits trying to sell human toes she found in dog vomit
A woman in Australia has pleaded guilty to offensive conduct involving human remains after planing to sell on the black market human toes that she had recovered from dog vomit. Advertisement The woman was a ranger at an animal shelter in the southeastern state of Victoria when two dogs regurgitated the toes and other human remains in February 2024, the Australian Associated Press 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 toes. 'She located two human toes and took them home and placed them in a jar containing formaldehyde,' Sambrooks said, according to the news agency. Joanna Kinman was a member of the 'Bone Buddies Australia' Facebook group, commonly used to buy, swap and sell specimens online, police said. Photo: Facebook/BoneBuddiesAustralia She then discussed a plan to sell the toes online with her daughter. The woman reportedly believed she could get as much as A$400 (US$252) for the remains.
