A Pennsylvania man was arrested for allegedly purchasing human remains illegally for resale on Facebook.
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Jeremy Pauley,40, purchased the human remains from an Arkansas woman, Candace Scott, who posted the remains for resale on Facebook. According to Cumberland County authorities, Pauley described himself as the owner/curator of the Grand Wunderkammer and executive director of the Memento Mori Museum. The Grand Wunderkammer is reported as “a vendor of the odd and unusual” and hosts events such as museum exhibits, guest lectures, and live entertainment.”
A forensic examiner later said in a report that the buckets found in Pauley’s basement contained human brains, skin and fat, a human heart, a human kidney, a human skull with hair, a human liver, a human female pelvis, and a piece of a human torso which included a nipple. Police alerted authorities in Arkansas and concluded that Scott stole the remains from a mortuary owned by the University of Arkansas. A statement from the university said she was a worker who had access to the morgue.
“UAMS is extremely respectful of our donors when they are here in our care. We have a contract with Arkansas Central Mortuary Services to take the bodies for cremation after they are no longer being used by our students. An employee of the mortuary service is under investigation by federal authorities for taking some human remains from the mortuary that were donated to UAMS. We are saddened and appalled that this happened,” the university wrote.
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Investigators filed criminal complaints on June 14 after a neighbor reported suspicious activity. Pauley later explained to police that he had approximately 15 to 20 human skulls, as written by Fox 43. Investigators claimed the items appeared to look old, but Pauley assured them that he purchased them legally.
A month later, authorities received another call about finding more human remains in Pauley’s basement, such as buckets of skin and organs. A search warrant was conducted in the home, where authorities found three to five buckets containing human remains, which were transported to the Cumberland County Coroner’s Office and then transferred to Dauphin County for testing.
The FBI stated that they were fully aware of the charges. Pauley was charged with receiving stolen property, dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities, and abusing a corpse. He was later released on a $50,000 bond. However, the charges against Scott were not revealed since the ongoing investigation.