A North Carolina family is searching for answers after their loved one’s body was mistaken for a Halloween decoration and left outside for days.
Robert Owens, 34, was found stripped of his clothes in a yard in China Grove, North Carolina. According to a GoFundMe, a lawn care employee first spotted Owens, but did not contact authorities.
It wasn’t until a construction worker saw the body the following day that officials responded to the scene.
The fundraiser, which was set up by Haley Reavis, claims the lawn care worker discovered Owens on Monday, but “assumed he was Halloween decorations or a mannequin for K9 training.”
“Don’t know how you can do that,” said Owens’ sister, Haley Shue. “Mow right beside someone and assume that they’re Halloween decorations at a house no one lives at.”
It wasn’t until the following day that police were called to the house – a house which his family says Owens never visited.
While officials informed Owens’ family that he had not been shot and there were no signs of foul play, his family had to rely on witnesses for details.
“Construction worker told us that he had cuts and scrapes on his arms like defensive wounds, his words,” Shue said.
Owens’ death is currently being investigated as suspicious.
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