The body of a 34-year-old man was found next to an abandoned house in China Grove, North Carolina, on October 16, 2023. But his family says he could have been discovered sooner if a groundskeeper had not mistaken him for a Halloween prop and mowed around him.
Robert Owens was last seen alive on October 14, when he left his mother’s house to go to a friend’s place. His family reported him missing the next day, but the police did not find him until Sunday afternoon, when they received a call from a neighbor who noticed his body.
The family claims that a groundskeeper, who works for the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office and was contracted to maintain the property, had seen Owens’ body on Saturday and ignored it, thinking it was a decoration or a mannequin.
“He was laying there with his eyes open. He had blood coming out of his nose. He had on blue jeans, a T-shirt and socks. You could tell it was a person,” said Deborah Johnson, Owens’ aunt, who identified his body at the scene.
The abandoned house where Owens was found is owned by the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office and is used for police training exercises. Sheriff Kevin Auten confirmed that the groundskeeper had mowed around Owens’ body and said he was “very sorry” for what happened.
“The groundskeeper advised that he thought it was a Halloween prop or a mannequin that had been placed there,” Auten said.
The cause of death is still unknown and the police do not suspect foul play. They are waiting for the autopsy results to determine if he died of natural causes or an overdose.
The family of Owens has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for his funeral and to seek justice for his death. They claim that the groundskeeper and the police were negligent and disrespectful to his body.
“We want answers. We want to know why he was there, how he got there, when did he get there,” said Melinda Owens, Owens’ mother.
“It’s very suspicious. It’s very heartbreaking. It’s very disturbing,” said Sherry Robinson, Owens’ cousin.
“I don’t care if it was a mannequin or not. You don’t do that. You don’t mow around a body,” Johnson said.
Relevant articles:
– Groundskeeper mowed around dead man’s body thinking it was Halloween prop, family claims, MSN, October 17, 2023
– How was Robert Owens’s body discovered?, MSN, October 17, 2023
– Groundskeeper mistakes dead body for police training dummy, New York Daily News, October 17, 2023
– Groundskeeper mowed around dead man’s body next to an abandoned house thinking he was a Halloween prop, according to the victim’s loved ones., SC Constables Upstate, October 17, 2023