Man arrested after leaving ‘human skin' teddy bear outside a Victorville gas station for a prank

Los Angeles Times

7 days ago

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 [phone] or Sheriff's Dispatch at [phone]. 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 www.wetip.com.
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.