A North Carolina man who was found dead last week was initially mistaken for a law enforcement dummy or Halloween decoration, according to reports.
A worker at a China Grove property called police on October 10 upon finding Robert Owens’ body. A day earlier, a groundskeeper spotted Owens, 34, but did not contact authorities because they believed the body resembled a dummy that law enforcement previously used on the grounds, WSOC reported.
Police told the news outlet that multiple agencies completed police and K-9 training at the property and an abandoned log cabin.
According to WJZY, Owens was found lying facedown and nearly naked on a driveway of a vacant home. Owens’ family alleged that a groundskeeper had mowed around his body thinking it was some sort of prop.
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Owens was last seen on October 1, a week before his body was discovered.
“Construction worker told us that he had cuts and scrapes on his arms like defensive wounds, his words,” a family member told WJZY.
An autopsy determined that Owens was not assaulted and did not suffer trauma. A toxicology report is pending as his cause of death remains unclear. However, Owens’ family allegedly told police that he had substance abuse issues.
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