Man’s body mistaken for training dummy by landscapers

CHINA GROVE, N.C. — A man’s body was found at a property last week in China Grove, North Carolina, and it was mistaken for a prop.

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The China Grove Police Department said officers learned that a groundskeeper saw the body of a man identified as Robert Paul Owens, 34, on Oct. 9, according to WSOC. The body was found on Shue Road.

The groundskeeper was mowing the lawn at the property. He said later that he thought the body was like a training dummy that law enforcement used at the property over the years, according to the news station.

Police told WSOC that multiple agencies have used the property as well as an abandoned log cabin over the years for officer and K-9 training which is believed to be the reason the groundskeeper did not report the body. It was another worker at the property who called the police the following day.

“Don’t know how you can do that,” Owens’ sister, Haley Shue, told Queen City News, according to USA Today. “Mow right beside someone and assume that they’re a Halloween decoration at a house no one lives at.”

“My grandmother has lived off of Shue Road for 40-plus years,” she said. “And he’s never been to this house. He’s never known of this house this far off the road. He’s never been back here. He’s never been known to come here.”

An autopsy was conducted on Oct. 13 and preliminary information ruled out signs of assault or trauma, police said, according to USA Today. Toxicology results are still pending and no cause od death has been determined yet.

According to police, Owens’ family said he had a history of substance abuse, according to WSOC.