Buzz
It's truly unsettling when items are stolen, but there's often a rational explanation for why certain things are targeted. Cash and jewelry are valuable, portable, and easy to hide. However, criminals aren't always so predictable. It's surprising how often skeletons and bones are stolen, even though it generally makes little sense to take them.
No boundaries exist when it comes to stealing skeletons—whether human or animal, ancient or modern, all are vulnerable. Even more unusual is the fact that many of these thieves aren’t random opportunists, but have gone to great lengths to seize their stolen goods. The following are ten strange and unusual stories of stolen skeletons, bones, and skulls.
10. Dante Alighieri
This towering figure of Italian literature has been at the center of numerous skeleton theft schemes since his passing in 1321. One of the most fascinating occurred in 1519, stemming from a heated debate over where the poet’s final resting place should be.
Dante passed away and was laid to rest in Ravenna, a city where he had lived in exile from Florence. However, the people of Florence, who had once exiled him, eventually regretted their decision, especially considering Dante's status as one of the greatest poets in history. Despite their requests, Ravenna refused to return Dante’s remains, prompting the Florentines to take more extreme action.
With the Pope’s blessing and support from influential figures like Michelangelo, a group of thieves attempted to steal Dante’s body under the cover of night. However, local Franciscan friars learned of the plot and took matters into their own hands, removing Dante’s remains for safekeeping.
For more than three centuries, Dante's remains were guarded by generations of the Franciscan order until Napoleon expelled them from Ravenna in 1810. The friars had hidden the remains within a wall near Dante's official tomb, where they were lost to history until being rediscovered by a stonemason during renovations.
9. The Young Man of Chan Hol II
Though predating Dante by about twelve thousand years, a skeleton known as the 'Young Man of Chan Hol II' was stolen in 2012. Discovered in 2010 within a submerged cave in Mexico, the remains were among the oldest human skeletons found in the Americas. And yes, as incredible as it sounds, these remains were taken from a cave that was underwater!
The caves in Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula were once dry and are believed to be among the earliest human settlement sites in North America. Other ancient remains have also been found in the area. This is fortunate, as only about 10% of the Young Man’s skeleton was preserved, and the rest of it remains missing as of 2023.
Luckily, archeologists managed to analyze the small portion of the skeleton that remained and estimate the time period in which the young man lived. They accomplished this by studying the stalagmite growth around the remains and examining the isotopic signatures of various elements in the samples.
8. The 16,000-Year-Old Cave Bear
Before their extinction around 10,000 years ago, cave bears roamed throughout Europe. These giant creatures were larger than brown bears and could weigh up to one ton. Considering their immense size, you’d think their bones would be hefty. However, in 2009, daring thieves in Bosnia had no trouble making off with them.
In 2004, a giant cave bear skeleton was found in the Orlovaca cave near Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia. It was the second-largest cave bear skeleton ever discovered and was considered invaluable by many experts.
However, in 2009, the remains mysteriously disappeared from the cave, which had since been converted into a museum, without leaving a trace. Border police and Interpol were alerted and instructed to be on the lookout for thieves attempting to smuggle the bear’s remains out of Bosnia. Since then, there have been no reports of the skeleton being recovered or returned.
7. 50-Million-Year-Old Thesceloraurus
There exists a thriving underground market where museums, scientists, and wealthy private collectors trade dinosaurs worth millions of dollars. Hollywood stars like Nicolas Cage and Leonardo DiCaprio are involved, as are artists and even drug dealers. In 2020, the artist duo known as the Connor Brothers purchased a 50-million-year-old Thesceloraurus skeleton at a trade show. But the skeleton was never delivered.
The artists launched their own investigation into the disappearance, which led them down a bizarre trail involving a high-ranking member of the notorious Sinaloa Cartel from Mexico. This man had a son who was a huge fan of the Jurassic Park movies. Like any loving father, he sought to buy a real dinosaur skeleton for his child. The cartel boss arranged for his lawyer to strike a deal with the dealer who had sold the skeleton to the Connor Brothers. The lawyer met with the artists and confirmed the son’s obsession with Jurassic Park, but assured them that his client would never purchase a herbivore.
Another theory suggested that a famous Australian actor, known for his passion for collecting real dinosaur fossils, had made a more attractive offer to the dealer. However, when the artists attempted to speak with the actor and his agent, they refused to comment. In the end, the Connor Brothers were left hopeless, wondering if they would ever recover their dinosaur—unless, of course, the cartel boss’s assets were seized by the authorities, and their dinosaur happened to be among them.
6. Polar Bear Skeleton Sculpture
Some artists purchase rare skeletons for their work, while others, like British sculptor Mark Coreth, prefer to recreate them. Coreth created several bronze sculptures of life-sized polar bear skeletons. As part of a World Wildlife Fund campaign to raise awareness about the dangers of melting ice caps, ice sculptures of polar bears were carved around the bronze skeletons and left to melt in public spaces across London, Manchester, Copenhagen, and several Canadian cities.
One of the remaining bronze skeletons, valued at over £15,000, was stolen from the rural English countryside in 2013. Police reported that the theft was no small feat, as the sculpture's size and weight required a truck with a loader crane to move. It was also secured with a metal structure, yet the thieves managed to steal it without being detected.
Unfortunately for the artist and his supporters, it is highly probable that the sculpture was sold as scrap metal. The thieves likely had no idea of its true worth.
5. Sperm Whale Skull
In 2023, another daring heist took place in Australia, this time targeting a sperm whale skull that belonged to the Eden Killer Whale Museum. The skull was being stored at a different property to allow oil to drain from it before it could be displayed. Despite the fact that the storage location was in a residential area, a well-organized team of thieves managed to quietly steal the skull.
According to the museum's head of collections, the theft required 'some organization and coordination,' as the skull was described as 'bloody huge.' She expressed confusion as to why anyone would want to steal such an item. Given its size and weight, the thieves would have needed equipment like a crane and a flatbed truck to move it. As of now, there have been no arrests, and the thieves may believe they committed a flawless—even if odd—crime. However, if the oil was not properly drained, it could continue to seep out for years, making it difficult to store and attracting pests.
4. Murder Evidence
Most murderers go to great lengths to hide their victims' bodies to avoid capture. Sanele Msimang, a man from South Africa, did the same—at least initially. After killing his employer, he buried the body in a shallow grave. Later, either unable to live with his actions or assuming he'd be caught anyway, Msimang confessed and led the police to the burial site. But that's when the case takes an odd turn.
While Msimang was in police custody, the skeletal remains of his victim disappeared from a mortuary where they were being stored for forensic examination. The media quickly jumped to conclusions and reported that the bones had been stolen by thieves. The police suspected that Msimang's accomplices might have been involved, though this seemed strange given Msimang had cooperated and showed them where the body had been buried.
The authorities launched an investigation into the theft and the attempts to dodge justice. However, the bones were discovered just five days later, having been mistakenly moved by the Department of Health.
3. 12-Foot Skeleton
Few crimes are as bold as those committed in broad daylight, and it's even more shocking when something enormous is stolen. In October 2022, a woman made headlines after audaciously stealing a 12-foot-tall skeleton from a Texas front yard. The thief was caught on camera outside a condo community, casually toppling the massive decoration, taking it apart, and stuffing it into her car before speeding off.
The skeleton was so large that it barely fit into her car, even when dismantled. After some effort, the thief succeeded, but the skeleton's owner released the footage, which quickly went viral. They also offered a $50 reward for any tips leading to the skeleton's safe return.
The bold, yet baffling, theft received widespread coverage, though it’s unclear whether the thief was ever caught. She might even be a serial skeleton thief. Earlier that year, a woman had stolen a model skeleton dressed as Disney’s Tinkerbell, named 'Boney Stark,' from a Texas library. Could these incidents be linked, or is it simply a spooky coincidence?
2. Oscar
Some individuals will go to extraordinary lengths to steal peculiar items, and the thieves in this case were no exception. They managed to snatch a model skeleton from a second-story balcony, where it had been securely fastened with metal chains for over two decades. Known as 'Oscar,' this skeleton was the beloved mascot of the Eltham Physiotherapy and Sports Injuries Clinic and had become a local legend in the small community.
1. Ghost Marriage
In China, there is an ancient custom that dates back thousands of years, still practiced in some areas today, called the 'ghost marriage' or the 'wedding of the deceased.' This ritual stems from the belief that the death of an unmarried man brings bad luck to his family. To ward off this misfortune, the remains of an unmarried woman are taken, and the two bodies are 'married' before being buried side by side. Some families are so desperate to avoid bad luck that they go as far as stealing a bride for their deceased son.
This practice was suspected in Hebei Province in 2019, when the family of a deceased girl was horrified to discover that her skeleton had been stolen from her grave. The 18-year-old girl had passed away in 2001, and in 2017, her family was approached with a proposal to offer their daughter as a bride for another family’s deceased son.
The family declined the offer, feeling uncomfortable with the idea, even for a monetary exchange. When the girl’s skeleton disappeared in 2019, both the police and her family were convinced it had been stolen to serve as a 'ghost bride.' It remains unclear whether the grave robbers of 2019 were connected to the family that had proposed the 2017 arrangement.
