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World's attention rattles skeleton seller

Sunday, 15 October 2006

By SHANNON MURPHY
Times Herald
Port Huron, MI

A mummified skeleton a Port Huron woman was trying to sell on eBay has created an international stir. The skeleton was confiscated by Port Huron Police from resident Lynn Sterling's Jenkinson Street home Tuesday evening.

On Wednesday, the St. Clair County Medical Examiners office examined the mummified remains and made plans to send it to a Michigan State University anthropologist next week for further analysis. The medical examiner's office said the skeleton is very old and most likely was used for medical study.

"It really surprises me," said Mary Palmateer, chief forensic investigator with the medical examiner's office. "I don't think they realize it's a medical specimen. People are picturing a mummy and the body wrapped in white sheets.

"And it's close to Halloween."

Sterling said since the story ran Thursday in the Times Heraldher phone has been ringing off the hook. She has received calls from several newspapers, including the Washington Postand television stations, such as Fox 2 News in Detroit. The story also was featured Friday on CNN.

Sterling said she doesn't plan on doing any other interviews on the subject.

"It's like if I talk to anybody, no matter what I say, it can be edited down to whatever they think will sell more newspapers and TV time," she said, citing information found on the Internet that twisted the story.

Sterling was selling the skeleton on eBay for a friend who owns it. She had done research to make sure it was acceptable to sell the medical-use skeleton before posting it. The remains, she said, were taken from a school science lab in Detroit several years ago.

Police, however, said it is illegal to possess human remains without permission. They don't expect to press any charges.

Sterling and local officials were surprised to see the story make headlines around the world.

Port Huron Police Capt. Don Porrett was interviewed by the Washington Post and Detroit radio and television stations, among others.

"I always call that a slow news day," he joked. "Granted, it's an unusual story and it must have caught everyone's attention."

The most interesting thing to Porrett was seeing the article in papers as far away as Australia and the Middle East.

Sterling, who has a friend in China, said the story made news there as well.

Her biggest concern, however, is articles that have twisted the orginal story.

A search of related articles on Google on Friday showed 311 articles on the mummy.

Most had headlines such as "Police probe sale of mummified body on eBay," or "Mummy for Sale on eBay Yanked."

There were the unusual headlines posted, though, such as "Dead Child for Sale on eBay," which was posted by The Sunin the United Kingdom.

"I'm absolutely surprised," Sterling said of all the attention. "I never in a billion years would have guessed it would have gotten this attention.

"Really, I'm trying to keep my humor about everything."

http://www.thetimesherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061014/NEWS01/610140303/1002

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