A shopper found a human skull in a thrift store in North Fort Myers, Florida. The shopper, who was an anthropologist, spotted the skull in the Halloween section and recognized it as a human skull.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to the store on Saturday, November 4. Florida law states that “no person shall knowingly offer to purchase or sell … any human organ or tissue for valuable consideration”.
This includes eyes, corneas, kidneys, livers, hearts, lungs, pancreases, bones, and skin. Skulls are common decorations in stores during Halloween, but usually, they’re made in a factory, not taken from actual dead people.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is working with the local medical examiner to run further tests on the skull. Officials do not believe the case is suspicious in nature.
Under Florida law, “no person shall knowingly offer to purchase or sell … any human organ or tissue for valuable consideration.” Eyes, corneas, kidneys, livers, hearts, lungs, pancreases, bones and skin are subject to the rule.
Officials have not said whether anyone will face charges in connection with the discovery of the skull at the thrift shop.
In September, a human skull was reported in a donation box at an Arizona Goodwill store. In that case, the responding police department said the medical examiner’s office determined the skull was likely not related to a criminal case.
