A gardener by accident mowed round a useless physique after assuming it was a Halloween ornament or a coaching dummy.

The physique was discovered on the garden of an deserted log cabin utilized by a number of legislation enforcement companies for coaching close to Charlotte, North Carolina, on 10 October, native police mentioned.

A groundskeeper had seen the physique the day earlier than, however mistook it for “a fake dummy used for training” and mowed the grass round it.

He due to this fact did not report it to police and a constructing employee on the property reported it the next day.

The physique was recognized as Robert Paul Owens, a 34-year-old man.

Haley Shue, his sister, informed NBC News her household is heartbroken that her brother’s physique wasn’t reported sooner, including that it was uncovered for too lengthy for them to have an open casket memorial for him.

“There’s definitely some sort of foul play,” she mentioned, describing her brother as a form one who “adored” his nieces and nephews.

Ms Shue mentioned the groundskeeper discovered him “face down in his underwear and socks with one arm under him, one arm out, with marks on his arms that he [the gardener] took to be defensive”.

“You can only think what’s running through our mind. He doesn’t have any of his clothes – where’s his clothes? Where’s his belongings? Where’s his wallet, his cellphone, shoes?”

She mentioned the development employee who reported the physique informed the household the groundskeeper “assumed that [my brother] was Halloween decor or a mannequin, and I guess he took it upon himself to assume that and not verify and mowed the entire property.

“It simply blows our thoughts how somebody can’t cease and confirm it is a unusual Halloween ornament or an odd model or dummy – why would officers depart this behind?”

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Mr Owens was final seen by his household on 8 October when he was picked up by somebody to go to a pal however did not return residence.

The deserted residence the place he was discovered is an remoted property he had by no means been to earlier than, his sister mentioned, close to their grandmother’s residence the place he had lived.

Preliminary findings from an post-mortem on Friday dominated out any indicators of assault or trauma, police mentioned, including they’re ready for a toxicology report to find out the reason for loss of life.