Australian woman admits trying to sell human toes she found in dog vomit

Joanna Kinman was working at an animal shelter at the time. She faces a maximum penalty of two years in prison

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The woman working at an animal shelter in Victoria state when two dogs reportedly regurgitated the toes and other human remains in February 2024. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 2:09pm, 17 Mar 2025Updated: 2:33pm, 17 Mar 2025

A woman in Australia has pleaded guilty to offensive conduct involving human remains after planning to sell on the black market human toes that she had recovered from dog vomit.

The woman was a ranger at an animal shelter in the southeastern state of Victoria when two dogs regurgitated the toes and other human remains in February 2024, the Australian Associated Press reported on Monday.

The dogs had been surrendered to the shelter after the death of their owner, who died of natural causes before his pets ate parts of his body, the agency said.

Prosecutor Melissa Sambrooks said Joanna Kinman was not present when the dogs regurgitated the remains, but searched a bin looking for the toes.

“She located two human toes and took them home and placed them in a jar containing formaldehyde,” Sambrooks said, according to the news agency.

Joanna Kinman was a member of the “Bone Buddies Australia” Facebook group, commonly used to buy, swap and sell specimens online, police said. Photo: Facebook/BoneBuddiesAustralia

She then discussed a plan to sell the toes online with her daughter. The woman reportedly believed she could get as much as A$400 (US$252) for the remains.