Latest news with #CoronaVillanueva
Daily Record
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Man arrested as creepy teddy bear feared to be wrapped in human skin horrifies locals
The chillingly-realistic toy was left outside a petrol station in San Bernardino County, California - leading to multiple reports to the local police from concerned members of the public 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."
Irish Daily Mirror
16 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Man arrested as horrifying teddy bear feared to be made of human flesh is found
The shocking discovery of a macabre teddy bear crafted from what appeared to be "human skin" resulted in a man's detention in San Bernardino County, California yesterday. The disturbingly realistic bear, which looked like something from a horror movie, was abandoned outside a petrol station on Bear Valley Road in Victorville, prompting numerous alarmed members of the public to contact local authorities. Police officers rushed to the scene and cordoned off what they initially treated as a potential "crime scene", before determining that the ghastly find was actually constructed from latex. Corona Villanueva, aged 23, who is understood to have purchased the item from murder-themed toy specialists Dark Seed Creations, was taken into custody Police mounted a massive response (Image: Villanueva faces charges of 'causing the report of an emergency while knowing it to be false' and 'intentionally and wrongfully planting evidence to falsely present as real.' A police spokesman explained to journalists: "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." Creator Robert Kelly, who markets the "Human skin teddy bears" via Etsy, excitedly shared news of the episode with his Facebook followers, posting: "I cant make this s*** up!" The uncannily-realistic toy caused a major incident (Image: He added: "One of my skin teddy bears has apparently been involved in a prank that brought police attention! This is f*****g wild!" Scores of supporters flooded the comments to praise him, suggesting the publicity stunt would likely generate significant buzz – and possibly boost sales for the $165.00 (roughly £122) piece. Currently, however, the bears show as "sold out" on Robert's Etsy shop. Robert offers various other unsettling creations on his platform, including a "skin vest," multiple Halloween masks, and a ghoulish lampshade paying homage to infamous serial killer Ed Gein. The bear has now sold out (Image: Etsy) Speaking to People magazine, Robert revealed he'd dispatched one of the bears to a buyer in the San Bernardino region just the previous week: "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 informed 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 emphasised he was completely unaware the purchaser intended to create chaos: "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 posted on Facebook. Despite this, he confessed to ABC News that the artist was savouring his sudden 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."
Daily Mirror
20 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Terrifying teddy bear feared to be wrapped in human flesh left at petrol station
Shocked passers-by found the fearfully realistic horror toy abandoned outside a petrol station in San Bernardino County, California and called police, who mounted a huge emergency response The discovery of a grisly teddy bear made of 'human skin' led to the arrest of a man in San Bernardino County, California yesterday. The chillingly-realistic serial killer -themed toy was left outside a petrol station on Bear Valley Road, Victorville, leading to multiple reports to the local police from concerned passers-by, Officers arrived and taped off the apparent ' crime scene ' before realising that the disturbing discovery was, in fact, made of latex. 23-year-old Corona Villanueva, who is believed to have bought the item from horror movie prop-makers Dark Seed Creations was arrested, and will be booked on charges of 'causing the report of an emergency while knowing it to be false' and 'intentionally and wrongfully planting evidence to falsely present as real.' A police spokesperson told reporters: '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.' Artist Robert Kelly, who sells the 'Human skin teddy bears' though Etsy, delightedly took to Facebook to tell followers about the incident: 'I cant make this s*** up!,' he wrote. 'One of my skin teddy bears has apparently been involved in a prank that brought police attention! This is f*****g wild!' Dozens of fans replied to congratulate him, saying that the stunt would probably earn him plenty of attention – and potentially a lot more sales for the $165.00 (about £122) item. At present, though, the bears are listed as 'sold out' on Robert's Etsy page. Robert sells a number of other grim-looking items there, including a 'skin vest,' several Halloween masks, and a macabre lampshade tribute to notorious serial killer Ed Gein. Robert told People magazine that he had sold one of the bears to a customer in San Bernardino area just last week: "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 told 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 stressed that he had no idea that the buyer would use the item to cause a disturbance: '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 wrote on Facebook. Nevertheless, he added in an interview with ABC News, the artist was relishing his new-found notoriety: "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."
Los Angeles Times
a day ago
- Los Angeles Times
Man arrested after leaving ‘human skin' teddy bear outside a Victorville gas station for a prank
A teddy bear that appears to be made out of human skin and found outside a Victorville gas station over the weekend turned out to be a practical joke, according to authorities. On July 14, 2025, deputies identified the person who left the teddy bear at the AMPM as Hector Corona Villanueva. Corona Villanueva was arrested and will be booked for PC148.3(a) - Causing the Report of an Emergency while Knowing it to be False and PC141 - Intentionally and Wrongfully Planting Evidence to Falsely Present as 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. We would like to thank those that reported information that was helpful during the investigation of this case. On Sunday, July 13, 2025, at approximately 12:07 p.m., deputies from the Victorville Police Department responded to a suspicious circumstances call at the AMPM gas station on Bear Valley Road. Callers indicated a teddy bear made of what looked like human flesh was left in front of the business. Upon arriving, deputies located the teddy bear and began their investigation. An investigator with the San Bernardino County Coroner office responded and collected the teddy bear. It has been determined that the teddy bear is not made of any type of human remains or skin. The investigation into who left the teddy bear at the business is continuing. Anyone with information about this investigation is asked to contact the Victorville Police Department at (760) 241-2911 or Sheriff's Dispatch at (760) 956-5001. Callers wishing to remain anonymous are urged to call the We-Tip Hotline at 1-800-78CRIME (27463) or you may leave information on the We-Tip website at The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department responded Sunday to a report of human remains near Bear Valley Road around noon, NBC4 Los Angeles reported. 'A coroner investigator has taken possession of the object, and the investigation is continuing,' Sheriff's Department Public Information Officer Mara Rodriguez said. Authorities are still investigating who was behind the prank. Video from KTLA shows the bear was left outside the entrance of AM/PM and the store's parking lot was cordoned off by sheriff's deputies. South Carolina artist Robert Kelly of Dark Seed Creations confirmed in a Facebook post that she was the creator of the bear and shipped one of them to an Etsy customer in Victorville last week. The bears in the Facebook video Kelly posted were stitched together like a Frankenstein monster with 'human skin' and tinged with what appeared to be blood. 'No, I did not have any knowledge of the buyers intentions nor was I involved in a prank on the other side of the nation from me,' he wrote. The bear is listed for sale at $165 on the seller's Etsy shop but is now sold out.
