An woman has pleaded guilty to offensive conduct involving human remains after she was accused of planning to sell online two human toes regurgitated by dogs in her care as a ranger at an animal shelter.
The woman, who has five children, faces a maximum sentence of two years in prison for the offense and has lost her job over the incident.
The dogs had ingested the toes after their owner died of natural causes and were then handed into the shelter in the southeastern state of Victoria, where they vomited up the remains, according to a report on Monday by the Australian Associated Press (AAP)
Collection of bizarre specimens
Prosecutor Melissa Sambrooks said the woman, identified as Joanna Kinman, had searched a bin to find the toes.
“She located two human toes and took them home and placed them in a jar containing formaldehyde,” Sambrooks said, according to the AAP.
Kinman then reportedly discussed selling the remains on the online black market with her daughter, believing she could receive up to 400 Australian dollars (€233; $253) for them.
Police came to search her home following a tip-off, finding a range of other specimens there, including an alligator claw, a bird skull, a guinea pig trotter and her children’s teeth, the AAP reported.
Kinman was said by police to be a member of the “Bone Buddies Australia” Facebook group, whose members buy, swap and sell specimens online.
She had previously sold “wet specimens” of a stillborn kitten and puppy on the site, Sambrooks told the AAP.
Relatives of the dogs’ dead owner have not been informed of the crime, with his son shielding them from the investigation, according to the agency.
Edited by: Alex Berry
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