Latest news with #JoannaKathlynKinman
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
Woman wanted to sell dead man's toes found in dog vomit
A woman who planned to sell human toes on an online black market after dogs regurgitated them has pleaded guilty to her ghoulish crime. Joanna Kathlyn Kinman was employed at a Victorian animal shelter as a ranger when two dogs vomited up the toes and other remains in February 2024. The dogs had been surrendered to the shelter after the death of their owner, whose name is suppressed. The man died of natural causes before his pets had eaten parts of his body. Kinman faced Ringwood Magistrates Court on Monday, where she plead guilty to offensive conduct involving human remains. The 48-year-old was not required to speak during her appearance and was supported by her 17-year-old son. Prosecutor Melissa Sambrooks said Kinman was not present when the dogs regurgitated the remains, but searched a wheelie bin looking for the toes. "She located two human toes and took them home and placed them in a jar containing formaldehyde," Leading Senior Constable Sambrooks said. Later, during a phone call with her daughter, Kinman discussed how she planned to sell the toes online and research suggested she could get as much as $400. Police soon arrived at her Lilydale home after a tip-off from an unknown source. Kinman made full admissions to possessing the remains and intending to sell them online. She showed police where the jar with the toes was located, beside other oddities including an alligator claw, a bird skull, guinea pig trotter and her childrens' teeth. Police found the mother-of-five was a member of the "Bone Buddies Australia" Facebook group, commonly used to buy, swap and sell specimens online. Snr Const Sambrooks said Kinman was an avid contributor to the site and had previously sold "wet specimens" of a stillborn kitten and puppy. She did not say where those remains were sourced. During her police interview, Kinman told officers she was curious about the toes and took them because "I know someone who collects weird things... I thought 'cool' its a toe". Many of the dead man's relatives are unaware of the crime, with his son choosing to shield them from the investigation, saying his family had already suffered enough. Kinman's lawyer Rainer Martini told Magistrate Andrew Sim his client had also been impacted by her "spontaneous" crime. He said she lost her job and had her name spread online by a community which was "unsurprisingly repulsed by her behaviour". "She has regretted fulsomely ... not just for herself but for the impact on the family of the deceased," Mr Martini said on Monday. Mr Sim said it was "hardly surprising" Kinman, who had studied psychology as well as animal science, lost her job over the "entirely odd behaviour". "I find it remarkable that someone of the accused experience and education would not know it was an offence," he told the court. "It's astounding that she didn't understand taking two toes that had been vomited up by one or two dogs from a deceased person and sell them on the internet was the wrong thing to do. "I'm still struggling to understand - it's astonishing - her behaviour." Mr Sim adjourned the hearing until Kinman could be assessed for a community corrections order. The maximum penalty for the charge is two years in prison, but both the prosecutor and Kinman's lawyer agreed she should be assessed for a corrections order. She is expected to be sentenced later on Monday. Kinman gave no comment to media outside court.
