Bones and skulls: Sudbury man selling human specimens online

In an unassuming apartment in Sudbury’s South End lies a unique collection of antiques.

Mixed in with the thousands of vintage glass bottles in Jay Preseau’s collection are human skulls and bones.

“I’ve been digging up bottles for a few years now and I always found the medical side of things fascinating because there are all kinds of old quack remedies and old tonics and cures and stuff,” Preseau said.

“It got me thinking, what other weird medical oddities can I buy? And then I started to dabble in the human bones.”

Preseau acquired the medical specimens from a retired medical doctor and from online sources. Such sales are legal, said Kaitlyn Dunn, spokesperson for the Greater Sudbury Police Service.

“The possession and selling -- as well as the purchasing of --medical specimens, including human bone is legal,” Dunn said.

Preseau makes a living by flipping artifacts. He said it’s exciting to be on a dig and discovering something from the past.

His unique collection attracts a lot of curious inquiries.

“It’s a mixed reaction,” Preseau said.

“Some people are like, ‘Oh, it’s the coolest thing ever,’ and then other people are like, ‘What’s wrong with you?’ and everything in between.”

How does Preseau feel living alongside so many skulls and bones?

“It’s a little creepy,” he said.

“Nothing’s moved around yet so I don’t think their possessed or haunted. But it’s definitely a creepy, creepy collection.”

We spoke with local anthropologists and a coroner to confirm that the specimens appeared to be human. However, without an in-person examination, it’s not possible to determine their origin.