Bizarre ‘Human-Skin’ Teddy Bear Found In California Sparks Panic—Turns Out To Be...
A teddy bear that looked like it was made of human skin sparked panic in California—until police revealed it was a realistic art piece sold on Etsy by a South Carolina artist.
A teddy bear that looked disturbingly human sent shockwaves through a California community after it was discovered lying on a sidewalk—its skin resembling that of a real person.
The unsettling find was reported on Sunday near a gas station along Bear Valley Road, where local authorities responded to a call about a suspicious object at a bus stop. What they found stunned both police and bystanders: a teddy bear with an eerie, leathery exterior that mimicked human skin, complete with stitched-on facial features—lips, a nose, and hollow eye sockets that added to its grotesque appearance.
The bear looked so convincingly macabre that some feared it had been made from actual human skin.
Residents were left horrified, and officials swiftly launched an investigation into the bizarre object. Initial impressions painted a chilling picture: as if someone had surgically removed a person's skin and turned it into a toy.
But after forensic testing, officials offered reassurance. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department confirmed that the teddy bear was not made from human remains. A coroner’s forensic pathologist further verified that no human tissue was used in its creation.
“This doll was made of fabricated material and was not of human origin,” the coroner’s office stated. Investigators also discovered similar items being sold online with provocative descriptions claiming they were “made of human skin.”
That’s when the story took another strange turn.
The artist behind the viral creation came forward. Robert Kelly, a South Carolina-based designer and owner of Dark Seed Creations, identified the bear as one of his own works. In a Facebook post, Kelly clarified that he had sold the item on Etsy to a buyer in Victorville, California.
“Yes, I made the bear in the news video,” he wrote. “Yes, that’s my Etsy shop being shown in the news articles. Yes, I shipped that bear to a customer in Victorville, CA last week. No, I had no idea what the buyer intended to do with it, nor was I part of any prank.”
Speaking to NBC News, Kelly explained that his artwork uses latex and a mix of dyes to replicate the realistic look of human skin. “We’ve put skin on everything from guitars and teddy bears to couches,” he said. “We use live castings from human models, which adds to the realism.”
While authorities have since removed the bear from the sidewalk, it remains unclear whether the investigation will continue following the artist’s confession.
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