The truth has been revealed regarding the discovery of a creepy teddy bear that was believed to have been made out of human skin.
Cops were notified of the harrowing stuffed doll shortly after midday on Sunday (July 13), sending residents and authorities into a frenzy with the suspicion that a serial killer could be on the loose.
The teddy was located outside of an AMPM convenience store that was attached to a gas station on Bear Valley Road in Victorville, California, which is located roughly an hour away northeast of Los Angeles.
At 12.32pm that day, the coroner division of San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department was notified 'of a doll that was possibly made of human skin', the authority notes in a statement.
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However, following an investigation at the scene by one of the deputy coroners, the truth was revealed as the county determined that the 'doll was made of a fabricated material and was not of human origin'.
"The doll was brought to the San Bernardino Coroner’s facility," the authority explained, and the following day a specialist confirmed the evaluation.
"Forensic Pathologist, Dr. M. Phan-Tang, confirmed that the object was not human and contained no human tissue.
"Our investigation found these dolls being sold on a website with the claim that the dolls are 'made of human skin'," the coroner's division concluded.
An arrest has since been made in connection to the incident, which is understood to have been a prank that went too far that resulted in the convenience store being cordoned off with yellow tape as the teddy was carefully placed into a bag for further examination.
Hector Corona Villanueva, a 23-year-old Victorville resident, has since been cuffed for causing a report of an emergency which he knew to be false, and intentionally planting evidence to falsely present as if it were real.
“Incidents such as this take up valuable emergency resources and put the public at risk, possibly delaying response time to legitimate calls for service," San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said in a statement.
"We would like to thank those that reported information that was helpful during the investigation of this case.”
The doll is believed to have been purchased on Etsy for $165, with the creator of it having taken to Facebook to post how he was in disbelief that the ordeal had gone down.
Robert Kelly, of the horror prop company 'Dark Seed Creations', wrote: "I 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**king wild!"
Topics: Crime, California, US News
Joe Yates