ORANGE CITY, Fla. – A Deltona woman was placed in handcuffs after an officer found human bones among her wares at an Orange City curio store, according to the police department.
In an affidavit, police said they’d received a complaint just days before Christmas in 2023 about the store — dubbed “Wicked Wonderland” — trying to sell those bones.
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According to police, the store had reportedly been advertising various human bones on its Facebook page, complete with pricing details.
Investigators said they found the following human remains for sale on the store’s website:
- Two human skull fragments — $90
- A human clavicle and scapula — $90
- A human rib — $35
- A human vertebrae — $35
- A partial human skull — $600
Afterward, an officer went to the store and spoke with one of its owners, who stated that the business had been selling human bones for years and was unaware it was illegal to do so in Florida.
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“She confirmed that the store had multiple human bone fragments, all purchased from private sellers, and mentioned she has documentation for these transactions but could not provide it at that moment,” the affidavit reads. “She described the bones as genuine human remains and delicate in nature.”
The owner allowed police to collect the human remains as evidence, and she and the other store owner — identified as Kymberlee Schopper, 52 — later met with investigators to discuss what was going on, police explained.
Per investigators, Schopper claimed that the bones were “educational models,” which would protect their sale under state law.
“Schopper and (the other owner) then became upset when they were unable to recover the collected human bones or obtain a copy of the original police report,” the affidavit continues. “They were informed that the human bones were currently being held as evidence in the case and would not be released to them at this time.”
In the year to follow, several of the bones were examined by experts, who found the following:
- The confiscated cranium belonged to an adult man and was likely an archaeological find.
- One skull fragment came from the right parietal bone and was likely an archaeological find.
- The cervical vertebra may have been part of an anatomical model due to its condition and “uniform brown coloration.”
- A sample taken from one of the bones revealed it could be over 100 years old.
- Another bone sample suggested an age of over 500 years.
Schopper — who was listed as the store’s primary owner — was ultimately arrested on Thursday night and now faces a charge of trading in human tissue.
She was released early Friday morning on bond of $7,500.
