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Officials investigating mummified remains advertised on eBay
Technology Review (MIT) ^ | October 12, 2006 | By Associated Press

Posted on 10/13/2006 11:46:18 AM PDT by aculeus

PORT HURON, Michigan (AP) -- Authorities confiscated mummified human remains from a woman who was auctioning them on eBay, after a browser on the Internet auction site called police in her town.

Lynn Barrett, 45, told police she obtained the mummy from a friend who said he found them in a Detroit school he helped demolish nearly 30 years ago. Barrett told the Port Huron Times Herald she was selling the remains for a friend, and contacted an attorney before advertising on eBay.

''It's an anatomical, medical-use skeleton,'' she said. ''I would never have put it on (eBay) if I thought it was anything other than an anatomical, medical thing.''

The St. Clair County medical examiner's office claimed the remains Tuesday from Barrett's home. Medical Examiner Daniel Spitz described the remains as an intact skeleton with mummified tissue. He said the remains are very old, and appear to be those of a child, but age, sex and race could not yet be determined.

''It's very, very old. It's probably some type of anatomical dissection that was part of an anatomy class that over time got into the hands of somebody in the general public,'' he said.

A spokeswoman for eBay said Barrett's posting was removed from the auction site Wednesday morning because it violated a policy against selling human remains. The Web site allows the sale of skeletons for medical use, but not mummified remains.

Police Capt. Don Porrett said criminal charges appear unlikely, but police are trying to track down Barrett's friend.

He said the mummy attracted at least one bid before being removed.

''There was a bid on it for $500 (euro399) from 'Satan's Child,''' he said.

I saw an advertisement in Newsday showing to mummies that were recntly mummified by some modern process and they seem to be arranged as artwork. The advertisement invites people to look at the mummified bodies. I wrote Governor geroge Pataki in NY about this exhibition and his office nver answered. I think its' a cile, and they are appealing to people's pruient interest-ie. necrophilia. It's real sick and decadent. Somebody should tell Don Pritchett the Police chief who busted the e-bay site. And tell the FBI also.

The exhibition is in the South Stree seaport in New York City. They state that medicial authorities usually keep bodies to ook at as exhibi9ts in medical schools and nowhere else. It is unusual to show them to the general public and there is the question of where thyey came from. The advertisement says they were mummified recently, apparently so they could be put on exhibition. I'm pasting the advertisement below; Bodies...The ExhibitionBodies...The Exhibition hits New York City this holiday season. Housed in the newly refurbished Exhibition Centre at the South Street Seaport, this striking new exhibit showcases real human bodies, giving visitors the opportunity to see themselves in a fascinating way like never before. Both captivating and edifying, Bodies unveils the many complex systems of organs and tissues that drive every aspect of our daily lives and unite us all as humans. "Although the intense study of human anatomy has traditionally been reserved for the medical community, this unique exhibit offers a rare opportunity for us all to examine and understand our own bodies including an up-close examination of the skeletal, muscular, respiratory, and circulatory systems. The various specimens showcase and exhibit healthy body parts and highlight the effects of disease, revealing how dramatically our daily choices influence our health." So why are they showing that to the general public instead of keeping them in medical schools. What type of perople came to the exhibition? Are they the same as the nuts offering to buy human remains on e-bay?


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1 posted on 10/13/2006 11:46:19 AM PDT by aculeus
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To: aculeus
They've got a bidder already . . . .
2 posted on 10/13/2006 11:48:41 AM PDT by BenLurkin ("The entire remedy is with the people." - W. H. Harrison)
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To: aculeus

Harry Reid's selling his body for his inevitable legal defense.


3 posted on 10/13/2006 11:50:20 AM PDT by Darkwolf377 (Republican, atheist, pro-life)
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To: aculeus

Thanks for the reminder. I still need to put my official Tsunami Water up for sale on eBay.


4 posted on 10/13/2006 11:52:20 AM PDT by Fester Chugabrew
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To: BenLurkin

"You know, if I were a single man, I might ask that mummy out. That's a good-looking mummy!"---Bill Clinton


5 posted on 10/13/2006 11:54:28 AM PDT by freedomson (Tagline comment removed by moderator)
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To: aculeus
said he found them in a Detroit school he helped demolish nearly 30 years ago.

You'd think he would've said something like: "I purchased them from a school that was closing down 30 years ago. It was being demolished soon and they told me everything had to go." If asked for a bill of sale, he could've said, "Hey, that was 30 years ago. I haven't seen it in about 10 years. Sorry."

I came up with that story in about 3 minutes. Geez, this idiot had tons of time to get his story straight if anybody squawked. For that matter, E-bay was a stupid place to try to sell this anyway.

6 posted on 10/13/2006 11:56:16 AM PDT by Excuse_My_Bellicosity ("A litany of complaints is not a plan." - GW Bush, referring to DNC's lack of a platform on ANYTHING)
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To: aculeus
This is by far worse than the guy who was selling an Ass Kicking on eBay. eBay has really brought some strange things from peoples homes or friends.
7 posted on 10/13/2006 11:57:14 AM PDT by herkbird (Semper Fi)
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To: aculeus

You mean van Hagen's BodyWorks. I went to it at the Museum of Science in Boston. It was fascinating; I highly recommend it.


8 posted on 10/13/2006 12:00:30 PM PDT by prion (Yes, as a matter of fact, I AM the spelling police)
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To: freedomson
"You know, if I were a single man, I might ask that mummy out. That's a good-looking mummy!"---Bill Clinton


Slick Willy's other Juanita.

9 posted on 10/13/2006 12:02:10 PM PDT by cynwoody
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To: aculeus
"According to the Associated Press, Peruvian scientists at the time called his remark "tasteless."

They obviously forgot to consider the source.

10 posted on 10/13/2006 12:44:27 PM PDT by patriot_wes (Pray for the peace of Jerusalem - may they prosper who love thee...Ps 122:6)
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