A 34-year-old man was found dead in a vacant lot after a maintenance worker mowed the lawn around his body, believing it was a Halloween decoration.
On October 10, a construction worker reportedly discovered the remains of a man later identified as Robert Paul Owens.
“There is no evidence of foul play at this time, but the matter is being investigated on suspicion,” police in China Grove, North Carolina, said in a statement after returning to the scene.
Still, authorities noted that the grass surrounding the body was strangely freshly mown.
Then they learned that a gardener had mowed the lawn the day before. The man reportedly carefully avoided Mr. Owens’ body because he mistook it for a Halloween decoration.
Mr. Owens’ sister, Haley Shue, told NBC News that the worker found him “face down, in his underwear and socks, with one arm underneath him.”
The worker allegedly told Ms. Shue that the gardener thought it was a Halloween decoration, NBC News reports.