A gardener says they mistook a naked dead body for a chillingly realistic Halloween prop when mowing the grass around it.
The death of Robert Owens, 34, has been described as "suspicious" by his family after police found him lying face down and half-naked in a yard next to an empty house in North Carolina, United States. According to a GoFundMe page set up for funeral expenses, Robert's loved ones have been left with "many questions that will hopefully be answered soon".
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Writing on the donations page, Haley Reavis confirmed Robert was found on the patio "stripped of his clothes and belongings". It is believed Robert's body was mistaken for a Halloween decoration by a gardener who later called in a report on the missing man.
Haley's statement read: "He was stripped of his clothes and belongings, leaving him in his underwear and socks for over 24 hours face down in the yard next to a house.
"He was found once on [Oct. 9] by a lawn care employee that assumed he was Halloween decorations or a mannequin for K9 training and was never reported to authorities.
"Who in their right mind mows a yard at a house that has power on and no one has lived there in a while, but the property is used for K9 training for years, can assume a half naked dead body with scratches and glass around it is Halloween decor[?]".
But China Grove Police Chief Andrew Deal has hit back at the family and claimed the housekeeper did not suspect the body was a Halloween prop. An email from the chief read: "The groundskeeper to my knowledge did not think it was a Halloween prop. However, he did not think it was real."
A police statement following the death read: "At this time there is no signs of foul play but the case is being investigated as suspicious." A construction worker reported the body to authorities on October 10.
An update to the GoFundMe page, from Haley, read: "We have evidence that has been handed over to the detective. If you’re reading this and you were involved just now you will get what you deserve very soon."
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