- The body of a North Carolina man was initially mistaken for a Halloween prop, per local reports.
- Police say a landscaper mowing the lawn saw the body of 34-year-old Robert Owen but thought it was a dummy.
A North Carolina family is seeking answers after a man's body was initially mistaken for a Halloween prop, according to local reports.
Police in China Grove, a town about 15 miles from Charlotte, announced on October 11 that they were investigating the discovery of a "white male, deceased" on the property of an abandoned house, according to a news release.
The man, named by his family as 34-year-old Robert Owens, had not been seen since October 1, local outlet Queen City News reported.
According to a police statement sent to Insider, a landscaping worker mowing the lawn had seen the body the day before police were alerted, but thought it was a dummy.
"He believed the body to be a fake dummy used for training by numerous law agencies on the property over the last few years and did not report it," the statement said.
But Owen's sister, Haley Shue, told Queen City News that the body had been taken for a Halloween prop.
"Don't know how you can do that," Owens' sister, Haley Shue, told the outlet. "Mow right beside someone and assume that they're Halloween decorations at a house no one lives at."
A GoFundMe released in the family's name, and cited by several local news outlets, suggested that the landscaper had either assumed it was a K9 training dummy or a Halloween decoration.
Owens was found face down and wearing little clothing, Queen City News reported. He had no prior dealings with the property, Shue told the outlet. "He's never been known to come here," she said.
Police are now investigating.
"At this time there is no sign of foul play but the case is being investigated as suspicious," Police Chief Andrew Deal said in an October 12 news release, seen by WBTV.
Police have since told the family that Owens was not shot, Queen City News reported.
Early findings from an autopsy conducted on October 13 "ruled out any signs of assault or trauma to the body," China Grove Police said, adding: "We are still awaiting the toxicology report to determine the cause of death."
According to the Queen City News, however, Shue said she learned from a construction worker on the property that Owens had "cuts and scrapes on his arms like defensive wounds."
Although Owens was known to use drugs, it doesn't answer the mystery of how he died, or how he ended up at the abandoned property, family members told the outlet.
Shue described Owens as a beloved family member who had just bought her son a jacket. "He didn't even have the chance to give it to him," she said.