A teddy bear appeared to be wrapped in human flesh. Turns out it was a prank.
In what police called 'a very bizarre incident,' officers arrested a man after what appeared to be a teddy bear wrapped in human flesh was left outside a Southern California convenience store.
Hector Corona Villanueva, 23, of Victorville was arrested in connection to the macabre prank on charges of reporting an emergency knowing it to be false and intentionally and wrongfully planting evidence to falsely present as real, the San Bernadino Sheriff's Department reported.
Just after noon local time on Sunday, July 13, the sheriff's department said, Victorville Police Department officers 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," the sheriff's office wrote in a news release.
An investigator with the San Bernardino County Coroner office responded and collected the teddy bear, officials said.
Gas leak disaster: House explodes during New Jersey flooding, nearby homes damaged
Teddy bear found with 'human flesh' examined by coroner
After further examination, officials said, the sheriff-coroner department's office determined the teddy bear "is not made of any type of human remains or skin."
A motive in the case was not immediately known.
As of July 15, Villanueva was not listed as an inmate in the local jail.
It was not immediatly known whether he had obtained legal counsel in the case.
"Incidents such as this take up valuable emergency resources and put the public at risk, possibly delaying response time to legitimate calls for service," the department wrote. "We would like to thank those that reported information that was helpful during the investigation of this case."
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Victorville police at 760-241-2911 or sheriff's office dispatch at 760-956-5001. Callers wishing to remain anonymous are urged to call the We-Tip Hotline at 1-800-78CRIME or visit website at www.wetip.com.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.
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USA Today
14 hours ago
- USA Today
A teddy bear appeared to be wrapped in human flesh. Turns out it was a prank.
'They're Selling a 'Human Skin' Teddy Bear on Etsy… And You're Still Calling Us Crazy?' In what police called 'a very bizarre incident,' officers arrested a man after what appeared to be a teddy bear wrapped in human flesh was left outside a Southern California convenience store. Hector Corona Villanueva, 23, of Victorville was arrested in connection to the macabre prank on charges of reporting an emergency knowing it to be false and intentionally and wrongfully planting evidence to falsely present as real, the San Bernadino Sheriff's Department reported. Just after noon local time on Sunday, July 13, the sheriff's department said, Victorville Police Department officers 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," the sheriff's office wrote in a news release. An investigator with the San Bernardino County Coroner office responded and collected the teddy bear, officials said. Gas leak disaster: House explodes during New Jersey flooding, nearby homes damaged Teddy bear found with 'human flesh' examined by coroner After further examination, officials said, the sheriff-coroner department's office determined the teddy bear "is not made of any type of human remains or skin." A motive in the case was not immediately known. As of July 15, Villanueva was not listed as an inmate in the local jail. It was not immediatly known whether he had obtained legal counsel in the case. "Incidents such as this take up valuable emergency resources and put the public at risk, possibly delaying response time to legitimate calls for service," the department wrote. "We would like to thank those that reported information that was helpful during the investigation of this case." Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Victorville police at 760-241-2911 or sheriff's office dispatch at 760-956-5001. Callers wishing to remain anonymous are urged to call the We-Tip Hotline at 1-800-78CRIME or visit website at Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@ and follow her on X @nataliealund.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Teddy bear made from fake human skin leads to California arrest
A man in California has been arrested after police say he staged a "macabre teddy bear" made to look as if it were constructed from human flesh at a petrol station. Hector Corona Villanueva, 23, is accused of planting false evidence and causing an emergency by leaving the bizarre creation at an AMPM service station on Sunday afternoon in the city of Victorville. The bear's discovery led to a police investigation and a coroner's examination of the item, while the petrol station was closed as a sense of unease spread in the community. On Monday, the sheriff's office ruled the bear wasn't made of any human body parts and dubbed the toy a "prank". Mr Villanueva was identified and arrested on Monday. It is unclear whether he has hired a lawyer who can speak on his behalf. The gruesome discovery in Victorville, 80 miles (130km) northeast of Los Angeles, had locals worried about a possible serial killer on the loose. The item was found around midday on Sunday at the filling station on Bear Valley Road when a witness called police to report that "a teddy bear made of what looked like human flesh was left in front of the business". A video posted online shows police responding to the scene as a glove-clad official from the coroner's office examines the object and places it into an evidence bag. A statement from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's office on Monday did not mention a potential motive, and said the "investigation into who left the teddy bear at the business is continuing". "Incidents such as this take up valuable emergency resources and put the public at risk, possibly delaying response time to legitimate calls for service," the statement said. "We would like to thank those that reported information that was helpful during the investigation of this case." South Carolina artist Robert Kelly has taken credit for creating the object, telling US media that he recently sold the figure to a buyer in Victorville. "Our work is pretty easily recognisable, and people were sending the articles (about the petrol station) 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." In a post to Facebook on Sunday, Mr Kelly denied having any knowledge of what the buyer intended to do with the bear. "No 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. Mr Kelly, who sells his work through a shop on the website Etsy, specialises in horror creations for Halloween displays and films. Other items are also made to resemble construction from human body parts, similar to the bear.
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.
