A horrific teddy bear, which appeared to be made out of human skin, was found outside a convenience store in California over the weekend. Concerned witnesses called the police, but authorities have determined the truth is far less grisly.
According to NBC, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department responded to a report of possible human remains on Sunday. A bear, which looked like it was made out of human skin, was spotted outside a gas station in Victorville. Authorities cordoned off the area with yellow tape, and the coroner’s office seized the toy. On closer inspection, the police quickly realized it was made from regular materials.
The frightening teddy was actually made by Robert Kelly, who runs a company called Dark Seed Creations. He also sells his creations on Etsy. Kelly’s online shop offers various macabre props, from masks to creepy skeletons. He posted a Facebook Reel explaining one of his creations made the news and someone used it as a prank. He wrote, “Yes, I made the bear in the news video, yes that’s my Etsy shop screenshotted on the news articles. Yes I did ship that bear to an Etsy customer in Victorville, CA last week. Yes you can still order one too.”
The Teddy Bear Creator Was Unaware Of The Customer’s Intentions
Kelly stresses that he was unaware of what the customer in Victorville planned to do with his purchase. He also said he was not involved in “a prank on the other side of the nation from me.”
In an interview with NBC, Kelly admitted he felt bad but also quite proud that one of his creations invoked the reaction it did. He told the outlet, “All I did was ship out an order. I had a guy order one of our teddy bears on Etsy. I don’t know if he played a prank, if he left it there on purpose, if he left it there on accident.”
The Sheriff’s Office reportedly arrested a 23-year-old Victorville man suspected of placing the bear. Authorities booked him for ‘causing the report of an emergency while knowing it to be false’ and ‘wrong planting evidence to falsely present as real.’
The police clarified, “Incidents such as this take up valuable emergency resources and put the public at risk. Possibly delaying response time to legitimate calls for service.”