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A Pennsylvania man was charged with the abuse of a corpse after allegedly purchasing human remains from a woman on Facebook.
Jeremy Lee Pauley, 40, who is known for purchasing various bones and teeth that he restores and resells, was arrested for trying to buy the corpse from a mortuary worker online.
Some of Pauley’s purchases have included pelvis ‘antiques’ and ‘very old’ skulls from children.
Pauly allegedly purchased $4,000 worth of human remains from Candace Scott, who police say stole them from a mortuary partnered with the University of Arkansas.
The human remains included: half a head, a whole head, three brains, a heart, a liver, a lung, two kidneys, a female pelvis, a torso with a nipple, and four human hands.
The shop owner was set to receive the shipment from Scott in Pennsylvania, but police intercepted the remains while they were in transit.
The store owner was arrested on Thursday following an investigation beginning on June 14 when police received a tip about suspicious activity about Pauley and his collections, according to police. Pauley was arrested and released on $50,000 bail.
Jeremy Lee Pauley, 40, was arrested on Thursday for abuse of a corpse and receiving stolen property after purchasing human remains from a woman in Arkansas, according to police
Pauley allegedly purchased the remains from a woman named Candace Scott for $4,000. The shipment included a liver, a lung, two kidneys, a female pelvis, a torso with a nipple, and four human hands. PICTURED: Pauley’s latest purchase of ‘medical bones’ before his arrest
The store owner was set to receive the $4,000 shipment but was arrested on Thursday following an investigation beginning in June when police received a tip about suspicious activity about Pauley and his collections
Some of Pauley’s other purchases have included ‘very old’ skulls from children. ‘Note the adult teeth haven’t dropped yet,’ he wrote on Facebook
Officers are astonished by the finding with Cumberland District Attorney calling the investigation ‘bizarre.’
‘This is the most bizarre investigations I have encountered in my thirty-three years as a prosecutor,’ Sean M. McCormack said. ‘Just when i think I have seen it all, a case like this comes around.’
The caller that tipped off the police said they found ‘several’ five-gallon buckets of human remains in Pauley’s basement. Investigators later recovered the remains that included human brains, hearts, livers, skin, and lungs.
Dr. Wayne Ross confirmed the remains from Pauley’s basement were human body parts.
Meanwhile, a University of Arkansas spokesperson said the human remains sold to Pauley were donated to the Medical Sciences sector of the school and were stolen from the mortuary by an employee.
‘We are very respectful of those who donate their bodies, and we are appalled that such a think could happen,’ Leslie Taylor told CBS News.
Pauley is the owner of The Grand Wunderkammer and the executive director and curator at The Memento Mori Museum. The business owner purchases multiple shipments of bones and teeth from unknown buyers and shares them with his supporters online
PICTURED: teeth purchased by Pauley. While investigating, police found ‘several’ buckets of human remains in his home
PICTURED: part of a mouth Pauley purchased before his arrest. The remains from Pauley’s basement were confirmed to be human body parts
Cumberland District Attorney Sean M. McCormack called the investigation ‘bizarre’ after five-gallons of buckets of human remains were found in Pauley’s basement
Pauley is the owner of The Grand Wunderkammer and the executive director and curator at The Memento Mori Museum, according to his Facebook.
The Gand Wunderkammer Facebook page describes the business to be, ‘Strange, curious, and unique in every way possible!’
The business showcases, ‘Vendors of the odd and unusual, museum exhibits, guest lectures, live entertainment, and so much more!’
An October 1 event in Pennsylvania is advertised to be the ‘First Annual Grand Wunderkammer’ gathering. Now, nearly 6,000 of Pauley’s Facebook supporters wonder if the event will occur.
‘Chin up, you’re got a larger army of supporters than you think, my friend,’ a supporter wrote on Facebook. ‘Those of us that know, know you’re solid.’
Other supporters commented that they ‘still love and support’ Pauley and ‘appreciate everything’ he does for ‘the oddities community’ while noting that ‘plenty of people’ have ‘partial human skulls’ and teeth.
Pauley is the owner of the business, The Grand Wunderkammer. The Facebook business page describes it to be, ‘Strange, curious, and unique in every way possible!’
Pauley anticipates holding an event from his business on October 1. Now, supporters wait to see if it will happen. Multiple fans of Pauley have left Facebook comments on his page to express support through his arrest
PICTURED: ‘Antique articulated partial pelvis’ Pauley sold in early August
Pauley sold various skulls on Facebook due to popular demand. Some buyers asked if the store owner set up payment plans while others were disappointed that they didn’t have any money to purchase the bones
Pauley’s latest purchase was a plastic bin filled with medical bones he posted a few days before his arrest. He captioned the post, ‘Picked up more medical bones to sort through.’
A few days before on August 7, Pauley advertised and sold an ‘antique articulated partial pelvis with sacrum and 5 vertebrae.’
Other merchandised the shop owner sells are hundreds of bagged teeth – with some of them being stained ‘as a result of an old school disinfectant used back in the day,’ according to Pauley.
Skulls appear to be favorited among Pauley’s supporters with multiple asking if the shop owner does ‘payment plans’ for a box of a dozen skulls.