Intercepted packages from Thailand held stolen body parts


An American tourist in Thailand attempted to send packages back home that contained body parts stolen from a medical museum inside of a Bangkok hospital.
Ryan McPherson, 31, said "he thought the body parts were bizarre and wanted to send them to his friends in the U.S.," Bangkok police Col. Chumpol Poompuang said. McPherson was questioned, and told the authorities he discovered the preserved items at a night market.
The packages were marked as containing toys, but actually held an adult heart, a baby's head, and a baby's foot, The Associated Press reports. Udom Kachintorn, dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Siriraj Hospital, says McPherson and his friend, 33-year-old Daniel Tanner, visited the hospital Thursday, but weren't seen on surveillance camera taking any of the items.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Authorities believe that McPherson and Tanner are the same men who were behind the early-2000s video series Bumfights, in which homeless people were paid to brawl on camera. The pair could not be reached for comment.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
What taxes do you pay on a home sale?
The Explainer Some people — though not many — will need to pay capital gains taxes upon selling their home
-
Schools: The return of a dreaded fitness test
Feature Donald Trump is bringing the Presidential Fitness Test back to classrooms nationwide
-
An insatiable hunger for protein
Feature Americans can't get enough of the macronutrient. But how much do we really need?
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
A long weekend in Zürich
The Week Recommends The vibrant Swiss city is far more than just a banking hub
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster show
Speed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show