NCJ Number
203991
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 49 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2004 Pages: 17-20
Date Published
January 2004
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Based on photographs of human remains being offered for sale on eBay, an Internet auction site, this paper categorizes the types of remains being offered and the implications of this type of transaction.
Abstract
Photographs of the human remains from a variety of auctions were assessed for qualitative (nonmetric) features that may indicate sex, race, and age of the skeletal remains, as well as their possible origin. Based on a visual inspection of the photographs, the auctions may involve four categories of human remains: recovered prehistoric and historic remains that appear to have been unearthed and/or commercially unprepared; commercial materials prepared and sold by biological supply houses or sold second-hand from these suppliers; modern materials that may be of medico-legal significance and without proper preparation; and materials of unknown origin, since no photographs are provided to help in the assessment of their origin. To date, eBay does not have a forensic anthropologist to evaluate the remains being offered for sale, nor does it consider the sale of human skeletal materials to be an issue. In all cases, if a prospective purchaser wishes to evaluate the skeletal remains being offered as potentially significant forensic materials, the determinations would have to be made from photographs alone. Direct examination would require purchase of the materials or their seizure by law enforcement personnel acting under warrants. eBay does not permit the sale of Native American skulls, bones, or other Native American grave-related items, since the sale of such items may violate Federal law. Since human skeletal materials of any kind, old or new, can sell at auction for 500-2,000 American dollars or more, an enterprising person could advertise these remains as modern whether they were or not. An unfortunate consequence of such sales is the generation of a market that may encourage stealing remains from graves, mortuaries, hospitals, or county morgues worldwide. The sale of human remains should be regulated by Federal laws that will limit the sale of human skeletal remains on the Internet. 3 references