Florida Woman Arrested for Selling Human Bones Online and in Store
A Florida woman was arrested last week for selling human bones listed at $850 through her Orange City business and on Facebook Marketplace—an unusual online find, as one police official put it.
Following a 15-month investigation into the illegal sale of human body parts, 52-year-old Kymberlee Schopper was arrested on April 10 at her home on India Boulevard. She faces charges related to the purchase and sale of human organs and tissue.
Her business partner, Ashley Lelesi, is also facing charges and is expected to be arrested, according to Orange City Police Captain Sherif El-Shami.
Schopper was released from Volusia County Branch Jail after posting $7,500 bail.
“It’s not every day you come across real human bones online,” El-Shami said in a statement on Friday, adding that “Yes, it is illegal to sell human remains in Florida.”
Human Remains Sold at Florida Shop
In December 2023, a concerned Orange City resident alerted police about Wicked Wonderland, a store located at 2461 N. Volusia Ave., which was advertising the sale of human bones on its Facebook page, according to an arrest report.
Police reviewed the store’s Facebook page and found listings for two human skull fragments priced at $90, a human clavicle and scapula also priced at $90, a human rib and vertebra each listed for $35, and a partial human skull priced at $600. In total, Schopper had $850 worth of human bones available for sale, investigators reported.
“I’m just relieved that this has come to an end,” said El-Shami.
Two calls placed to Wicked Wonderland on Friday were directed to voicemail, with a message stating that business owners Ashley or Kymberlee would return the calls.
Around 9 a.m. on Friday, Wicked Wonderland posted on its Facebook page announcing that the store would be closed and that its weekend hours “may vary from our usual schedule.”
Wicked Wonderland Co-Owner: We’ve Been Selling Human Bones for Years
When Orange City police visited the business at 2461 N. Volusia Ave., co-owner Ashley Lelesi, visibly nervous, told officers that they had been selling human bones for several years and were unaware that it was illegal, according to the arrest report.
One skull fragment had already been sold for $50, prompting police to seize the remaining skull fragment, as well as a human clavicle, scapula, rib, vertebra, and a partial skull. The bones were sent to the Volusia County Medical Examiner’s Office for analysis, police reported.
They presented redacted PayPal documents, asked for additional details about the case, and requested a police report. According to investigators, they also informed police that a warrant would be required to obtain further information.
Schopper told police that the human bones were protected under Florida law as educational models. The women became upset when officers informed them that the remains could not be returned, as they were being examined, according to the arrest report.
While it’s possible that Schopper and Lelesi purchased the bones from an online educational store, selling human remains remains illegal in Florida, El-Shami explained.
The medical examiner’s tests revealed that the skull fragment had archaeological origins, while the vertebra was likely part of an anatomical model and not from a burial site. Police confirmed the bones came from two different individuals.
Additionally, the medical examiner identified the partial skull as that of an adult male, of archaeological origin, and found no signs of trauma, according to the investigative report.
“After completing the investigation, it was determined that Schopper knowingly purchased and listed human bones for sale on Facebook Marketplace and through their business website,” investigators stated in their report.
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