‘Dead body’ found on side of the road wasn’t what it seemed, California officials say
Sheriff’s deputies responded to a “report of a dead body wrapped in a cardboard box” on the side of a California road, but found something a bit different.
Upon arriving on Rice Road outside of Oakdale just after 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 13, deputies found that the box did not contain anything of human origin, the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office wrote on Facebook.
Rather, it had a “very realistic-looking mannequin,” the sheriff’s office said.
Facebook users were quick to poke fun at the situation.
“Dang! I could have used it for the fwy HOV lane,” one Facebook user commented on the sheriff’s post.
Others warned that the mannequin may be more than an inanimate doll.
“But it’s never just a mannequin,” one user commented.
“Watch out, it might come alive when they least expect it,” another joked.
The sheriff’s department said if the mannequin goes unclaimed, it “will be booked into evidence to be destroyed,” prompting some users to stake a claim to the doll.
“I need some new Halloween decor. I’ll take it!” a Facebook user commented.
Stanislaus County is about 10 miles south of Modesto.
This story was originally published September 14, 2022 at 3:36 PM with the headline "‘Dead body’ found on side of the road wasn’t what it seemed, California officials say."
