Women arrested for allegedly selling human bones and remains on Facebook Marketplace
Two women have been arrested for allegedly selling human remains online.
Kymberlee Schopper and her daughter Ashley Lelesi have been charged with the purchase and sale of human organs and tissue, as per court records after it was found that they had been selling off parts of people on Facebook Marketplace.
The women, who are the owners of a Florida curiosities shop, have shocked the Orange City Police Department with their alleged illegal operation.
According to the police, they first began their investigation into the shop called Wicked Wonderland in December 2023 after they received a tip off.
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They shared that the tip noted that a local business was ‘attempting to sell human bones’ as per the affidavit.
The tip provided images from the shop’s own Facebook page, which allegedly ‘advertised various human bones for sale, complete with pricing information’.
As per the document, the shop was apparently trying to sell two human skull fragments for $90, a partial human skull for $600, a clavicle and scapula for $90 and a human vertebrae priced at $35.
"This is something I haven't seen in the 17 years that I've worked for this agency," Orange City Police Department Captain Sherif El-Shami told ABC News.
When the authorities spoke to Lelesi, who co-owns the shop, she shared that the business had been selling human bones for ‘several years and was unaware that it was prohibited in the state of Florida’.
Schopper was then arrested last week for selling human remains on Facebook Marketplace, and she shared that her business had ‘multiple bone fragments, all purchased from private sellers’, as per the affidavit.
In a post on the shop’s personal Facebook page, the pair wrote that it was closing.
It read: "Wicked Wonderland is currently temporarily closed due to dedicating our time to the care of a beloved family member in their final moments.
"Absolutely nothing more. While there may be a whirlwind of misguiding information and horrendous assumptions and opinions, we're choosing to focus on what we always have: Life, love, death and Family."
Lelesi admitted to having the proper documentation for the purchases but couldn’t hand them over at the time before both women met with police and showed them PayPal transactions, which included ‘redacted’ information ‘to protect their privacy’.
Schopper called the bones 'educational models’, and police provided five pieces of evidence for which the Volusia County Medical Examiner's Office found that the bones ‘likely represent two different individuals - one of possible archaeological origin and the other of anatomical origin’.
Schopper was taken into custody but released on a $7,500 bail two days later. Lelesi was also charged.
Schopper's arraignment has been scheduled for May 1, as per court records.
On April 15, the shop again updated shoppers on the status of the business, hitting back at anyone who believed that they were lying about a family member needing their love and support, which was the reason they chose to temporarily close.
The post read: “Life unfolds in many phases—some calm and peaceful, others chaotic and challenging. At times, multiple hardships may arise at once. In the face of adversity, we are neither retreating nor hiding. We choose to confront these trials with dignity and resolve.
“To those who would suggest we are using the passing of our beloved matriarch as a pretext—we ask that you remove yourselves from this space. As we take the necessary time to honor her memory and say our goodbyes, know that we will return—renewed, resilient, and ready to continue the fight with everything we have.
“Our heartfelt thanks go out to our loyal and steadfast supporters. Your encouragement means the world to us. We love you. See you Friday.”
LADbible has contacted the Wicked Wonderland business and the Orange City Police Department for comment.
Britt Jones