(KTLA) – Investigators in California responded to reports of human remains spotted outside a convenience store on Sunday and found a teddy bear purportedly wrapped in human skin, though it now appears, claims one company, that the ordeal is likely an elaborate prank.
Officials with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department confirmed that deputies arrived at an AMPM store in Victorville at around 12:05 p.m.
“A coroner investigator has taken possession of the object, and the investigation is continuing,” SBCSD Public Information Officer Mara Rodriguez said.
In footage of the scene obtained by affiliate KTLA, sheriff’s deputies had cordoned off the store’s parking lot, while the coroner’s investigator inspected the teddy bear, which could be seen just outside the entrance of the AMPM.
The gloved coroner was seen gently turning the object around while examining it and then putting the teddy bear-shaped object into a pink-colored plastic bag.
It’s unclear whether investigators asked the store for footage from its surveillance cameras to see how and when the item was placed or left there.
In a post on a Facebook page called Dark Seed Creations, a company that says it specializes in “horror culture and special effects,” a person took credit for making the teddy bear.
“You can’t make this sh*t up! One of my skin teddy bears has apparently been involved in a prank that brought police attention! This is f****** wild!” the post read.
A search on the popular online marketplace Etsy shows a similar-looking bear titled “human skin teddy bear” made with latex and sold by Dark Seed Creations for $165.
“One of the things that we’re known for is that we make a lot of these props that are fake human skin,” Robert Kelly, of Dark Seed Creations, who told KTLA he sold a similar teddy bear to someone in Victorville last week. “So, those are all made out of latex. They’re created from a mold. Our stuff is pretty recognizable in the industry. So, once this happened a few hours ago, my phone started blowing up, Facebook started blowing up.”
KTLA has reached out to the sheriff’s department for comment on the investigation and is awaiting a response.
