In a turn of events that raised eyebrows in Volusia County, Florida, a mother and daughter who own a curiosity shop, Wicked Wonderland, have been arrested and charged with the sale of human bones on Facebook Marketplace. According to ABC News, Kymberlee Schopper, 52, and her daughter, Ashley Lelesi, face allegations of trading in human organs and tissue—a charge that carries with it the weight of both legal and ethical implications.
Local residents were taken aback by the revelation that human skeletal fragments were purportedly available for sale online, with items such as skull fragments, a human rib, and vertebrae listed with explicit pricing. The NBC News report indicates one such listing offered "two human skull fragments ($90 total)… and partial human skull ($600)." Orange City authorities had been investigating the case since 2023, following a tip-off about the business endeavor.
When approached by law enforcement, Lelesi stated that the store had been in the practice of selling human remains for several years and confessed her unawareness of the illegality of such transactions in Florida. According to the affidavit mentioned in an WESH report, "The daughter said they had been selling human bones for several years, did not know it was illegal, and bought them from private sellers."
The investigation took a more definitive turn when the Volusia County Medical Examiner's Office analyzed the evidence and determined that the bones were likely from two different individuals, as described in the WESH report. Schopper, upon meeting with officers, offered the explanation that the bones were "educational models," a category exempt from Florida's restrictions around the sale of human remains. However, her documentation was redacted, and as per NBC News, police were not persuaded by her rationale.
The pair wrote on their now-disabled shop's Facebook page, ahead of closing down Wicked Wonderland, "We're choosing to focus on what we always have: Life, love, death, and Family." This statement, obtained by ABC News, came as they faced public scrutiny and awaited the legal proceedings set to unfold in the wake of their arrest. Schopper's arraignment is scheduled for May 1, with bail set at $7,500, though it remains unclear if she has obtained representation in the matter.
