When an anthropologist perused an antique mall in Fort Myers, Florida, she immediately spotted a human skull in the Halloween section, that she believes to be of Native American descent. The price tag: $4,000. Deputies quickly responded.
FORT MYERS, Florida (KFOR/Storyful) - When an anthropologist perused an antique mall in Fort Myers, Florida, she immediately spotted a human skull in the Halloween section, that she believes to be of Native American descent. The price tag: $4,000. Deputies quickly responded.
Beth Cooper Meyer, the managing partner of Paradise Vintage Market, told local media that several years ago an older man was moving away and asked if she wanted to purchase the contents of his storage unit, which was primarily full of animal fossils - and one human skull.
Meyer said she knew the skull was human and decided to sell it anyway. Whether she knew selling human remains is illegal in several states, including Florida, is unclear.
According to reports, Florida law states, "Whoever buys, sells, or has in his or her possession for the purpose of buying or selling the dead body of any human being shall be guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree."
The Lee County Sheriff's Office confiscated the skull and is working with the medical examiner's office to further investigate the origin of the skull.
For now, officials say the case is not considered suspicious in nature.
