As the saying goes, “Where there’s demand, there will be a supplier,” and one Florida woman had her foot in the niche market of human remains. 52-year-old Kymberlee Schopper and her friend Ashley Lelesi had opened up a shop aptly named “Wicked Wonderland” and were attempting to sell human bones on Facebook Marketplace. The selection included skull fragments, a clavicle, a scapula, a rib, a vertebrae, and part of a skull, with prices ranging from $35 to $600. Marketing pieces of the deceased is illegal in Florida, so the two were arrested.
“This is something I haven’t seen in the 17 years that I’ve worked for this agency,” the Orange City Police Department Sheriff expressed, per ABC News. The authorities in the area are probably accustomed to dealing with drug deals and the like, but never individuals selling dead human remains. Schopper claimed that she was “unaware” that the selling of bones was “prohibited in the state of Florida.” She also said that all her products were procured from private sellers, but she was unable to provide any proper documentation for the transactions. If you thought that sounds fishy, you’re not the only one.
“I’m not concerned about her selling them. I’m concerned about how she acquired them,” remarks a Redditor, with several dozen upvoting in agreement. The fact that she couldn’t provide details on how she got the bones is undoubtedly weird.
Speaking of weirdness, plenty of online users were concerned about why in the world anyone would want to buy human bones in the first place. “School students and college students buy bones to study them; also, some cultures crush human bones and use them in the arts of mysticism and witchcraft,” states a Facebook user. “Where there’s demand there will be a supplier,” comments another.
“There’s also just the morbid curiosity,” a Redditor says regarding the reasons behind Schopper’s bone business. “There are a lot of morbid people out there,” seconds another. There were also a few others who had some jokes to add. “Excellent source of calcium [for the buyers],” jests a commenter. “Rumor has it when the coppers showed up, she gave them the finger, but it was still attached to the arm…” quips another.
All in all, the Florida human bone seller is probably (hopefully) not a grave robber or a criminal with a morbidly dark past. However, as a seller who publicly advertises her goods on a website and Facebook, she most definitely should have looked into whether her state laws allow for whatever she sells.
