Man arrested as creepy teddy bear feared to be wrapped in human skin horrifies locals
A macabre teddy bear fashioned from what appeared to be "human skin" sparked a police operation in San Bernardino County, California, after it was abandoned outside a petrol station on Bear Valley Road, Victorville, causing alarm among locals.
Local police cordoned off the scene as they investigated the eerily lifelike serial killer-themed toy, only to discover that it was actually crafted from latex, rather than human flesh.
23-year-old Corona Villanueva was apprehended following the incident. It is believed he acquired the prop from horror movie specialists Dark Seed Creations and now faces charges for 'causing the report of an emergency while knowing it to be false' and 'intentionally and wrongfully planting evidence to falsely present as real'.
A spokesperson for the police commented on the matter, stating: "Incidents such as this take up valuable emergency resources and put the public at risk, possibly delaying response time to legitimate calls for service. We would like to thank those that reported information that was helpful during the investigation of this case."
Meanwhile, Robert Kelly, the artist behind the "Human skin teddy bears" sold on Etsy, couldn't contain his astonishment on Facebook, exclaiming: "I cant make this s*** up!," and sharing with his followers: "One of my skin teddy bears has apparently been involved in a prank that brought police attention! This is f*****g wild!".
Scores of enthusiasts took to social media to laud his antics, suggesting that the escapade could well catapult him into the limelight – and perhaps significantly boost sales for the $165.00 (around £122) product. Currently, these bears are marked as "sold out" on Robert's Etsy shop.
Robert offers an array of sinister items on his page, including a 'skin vest', a selection of Halloween masks, and a chilling lampshade homage to the infamous murderer Ed Gein.
Speaking to People magazine, Robert revealed he had recently sold one of the bears to a patron in the San Bernardino region: "Our work is pretty easily recognisable, and people were sending the articles (about the incident) left and right.
"I looked, and sure enough it was the bear I sent out last week," Mr Kelly confided to People magazine.
"Every artist wants credit [for] their work, so I said 'I made that', and haven't been able to catch up with messages since."
He clarified that he was completely unaware of the purchaser's plans to create havoc: "I did not have any knowledge of the [buyer's] intentions nor was I involved in a prank on the other side of the nation from me," he declared on Facebook.
Nonetheless, in a chat with ABC News, the artist admitted he was somewhat basking in the unexpected fame: "I guess I'd probably be lying if I said I wasn't enjoying it a little bit.
"You know, I'm an independent artist, so you know, I know what starving artist life feels like. So, a little attention is sometimes good regardless of not being able to condone whatever."
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