Business owners accused of selling human body parts online say they were 'unaware' it was illegal
A pair of business owners accused of selling human body parts online are claiming they were 'unaware' it was illegal.
Back in December 2023, officials from the Orange City Police Department began looking into the activity of Florida-based curio store, Wicked Wonderland.
A charge affidavit states police received a tip off that a local business was 'attempting to sell human bones' - so officials decided to do more digging.
The tip put the store hot water as it included images of a Facebook page which 'advertised various human bones for sale, complete with pricing information'.
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It was eventually discovered owners of the shop, Kymberlee Schopper and Ashley Lelesi, were selling human remains on Facebook marketplace - something Orange City Police Department Capt. Sherif El-Shami said was something he hadn't seen 'in the 17 years that I've worked for this agency'.
Yep, the place you might sell an old tee or a video game - well, the shop owners decided to sell body parts instead.
The affidavit claims Schopper was selling a human rib and a human vertebrae for $35 a pop, while the store was apparently selling two human skull fragments for $90.
A single human clavicle and scapula was listed for the same price, while a partial human skull was set for $600 online.
After making the discovery, police were understandably keen to speak to the business owners about their selling ventures.
A description on the company's website details the type of business they are, with it reading: "Meet the wicked women behind Wonderland. A mother and daughter team who revel in the madness of the strange and unusual; the dark and macabre."
"Having both come from a medical background we have a passion for sharing our knowledge and expertise in the preservation and exploration of anatomy and pathology of all organic beings."
Lelesi spoke to police and said the shop had been selling human bones 'several years and was unaware that it was prohibited in the state of Florida'.
Court records show Schopper and Lelesi have been arrested and charged with the purchase or sale of human organs and tissue.
Schopper was taken into custody on Thursday (April 10) and released on Friday (April 11) on a $7,500 bail, while Lelesei was also charged - but it remains unclear whether the business owner is in police custody currently.
Wicked Wonderland has since closed, with a Facebook post from the store stating: "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."
Callum Jones