FL FL - Fort Myers, AsnMale 18-45, UP17409, Discovered being sold on Craig's List, Seller purchased skull from flea market, Indian Descent, Apr'16

[Hochman]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

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Sculpt

"This is a human skull that was discovered for sale on Craig's List by law enforcement. The seller stated he purchased the skull from the Flea market. The cranium is most likely of Asian ancestry and likely from the Indian subcontinent."

Sex - Male
Race - Asian (Indian)
Age Estimate - 18-45
Location - Fort Myers, Florida
DBF - April 12, 2016
Condition - Skeletal (Skull Only)
PMI - Years

No other information.

 

[lightofmine99]

So did the seller know it was real, or did a Craigslist customer correctly suspect it was real?

Unfortunately I think this happens more often than we'd like it to (which is technically never).

 

[Blurgle]

About 90% of human skeletons or skeletal parts available for purchase at medical supply stores originate on the Indian subcontinent. They're usually purchased by medicine and anthropology students.

Edit: it also used to be possible to buy a "clay reconstruction" kit at science stores that would include a real human skull, clay, a few tools, and a photo of the deceased in life, sealed in an envelope and to be opened once the skull had been reconstructed.

 

[lightofmine99]

In the (mid-late) 1800s, grave robbing or "body snatching" was extremely common in the UK and USA as people could make money selling bodies to medical schools/students. Cadavers were in short supply. It got so bad they invented metal cages to put around coffins. A famous instance of this happening on a large scale is what's called the "Burke and Hare murders," only they also straight up killed people to sell them. There's probably lots of old skeletons still in circulation from that period.

I suspect this Jane Doe is also a product of this.

 

[Blurgle]

In the (mid-late) 1800s, grave robbing or "body snatching" was extremely common in the UK and USA as people could make money selling bodies to medical schools/students. Cadavers were in short supply. It got so bad they invented metal cages to put around coffins. A famous instance of this happening on a large scale is what's called the "Burke and Hare murders," only they also straight up killed people to sell them. There's probably lots of old skeletons still in circulation from that period.

I suspect this Jane Doe is also a product of this.

I mean, it's legitimately necessary for medical students to learn anatomy; grave robbing was a necessary evil in that time period because there was often no legal means to obtain a cadaver. (Medical students had access to the bodies of executed criminals and suicides, but the mid-1800s saw far fewer executions, a growing trend to hide suicide, and a sharp increase in the number of medical students. Before that time you could be hanged for having stolen a loaf of bread.)

 

[lightofmine99]

I mean, it's legitimately necessary for medical students to learn anatomy; grave robbing was a necessary evil in that time period because there was often no legal means to obtain a cadaver. (Medical students had access to the bodies of executed criminals and suicides, but the mid-1800s saw far fewer executions, a growing trend to hide suicide, and a sharp increase in the number of medical students. Before that time you could be hanged for having stolen a loaf of bread.)

I didn't mean to imply it was something evil; you called it a necessary evil and that is an accurate description. It's a very morally grey action. I was just expressing that there are a lot of Does in circulation that are probably a product of this.

And I also wouldn't put it past some people to stumble upon remains somewhere and instead of alerting authorities, harvesting them to sell or for personal use.