A man from the US state of Pennsylvania has been charged with abuse of a corpse, receiving stolen property and other charges after police say he tried to buy stolen human remains for possible resale on Facebook.
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A spokeswoman for the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) in Little Rock confirmed the remains were to be donated to the educational facility.
UAMS spokeswoman Leslie Taylor said they were instead stolen from Arkansas Central Mortuary Services by a female employee and sold, adding that there is an open federal investigation.
"We are very respectful of those who donate their bodies, and we are appalled that such a thing could happen," Taylor said.
A representative of the mortuary hung up on a reporter who reached out for comment on Thursday.
The FBI's Little Rock spokesman Conor Hagan said the office was aware of the Pennsylvania incident "but will not comment on ongoing investigations".
No charges had been filed as of Thursday against the Arkansas woman.
East Pennsboro Township Police in the state of Pennsylvania announced the arrest of and charges against 40-year-old Jeremy Lee Pauley, of Enola, Pennsylvania.
Pauley was arrested on July 22 and had an initial court appearance Thursday.
Calls to an attorney representing Pauley, who was released on $50,000 bond according to court records, were not returned late on Thursday.
"I think I've seen it all, and then something like this comes around," Sean McCormack, district attorney for Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, where Pauley was charged, said.
"The question we had to answer was, 'Is the sale of body parts or bones and remains illegal ... or legal?'.
"Some of it, to our surprise, was legal. And as the investigation went on, it became clear there was illegal activity going on as well."
Pauley, who described himself as a collector of what he called "oddities", including human body parts, said the remains were acquired legally when first contacted by law enforcement, according to a police affidavit.
Police initially found what they described as older human remains including full skeletons they determined were legally obtained.
However, after a second tip about newer remains in Pauley's home, investigators say they returned to the house to find more recent purchases.
Police allege they found three buckets containing assorted body parts - including of children - and that federal and state law enforcement agents intercepted packages addressed to Pauley from the Arkansas woman that contained body parts.
Pauley told investigators he intended to resell the body parts, according to the police affidavit.
Investigators allege Pauley arranged to pay the Arkansas woman $US4000 ($A5700) for the body parts through Facebook Messenger.
A message to a Facebook spokesman was not returned late on Thursday.
Australian Associated Press