Police tape blocks off the crime scene outside a church where a man shot dead four people, including three of his children, before turning the gun on himself, February 28, 2022 in Sacramento, California. A father shot dead three of his own children on February 28 before turning the gun on himself in a US church, police said. A fifth person also died in the shooting in Sacramento, California, though it was not clear if that person was related to what police said was a domestic incident. (Photo by Andri Tambunan / AFP) (Photo by ANDRI TAMBUNAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Victorville, California – In an unusual and oddly theatrical episode, a 23-year-old man from California was arrested this week after leaving what appeared to be a teddy bear made from human flesh outside a gas station in Victorville. The figure, clearly designed to provoke, temporarily shut down the AMPM on Bear Valley Road and triggered a full-scale law enforcement and coroner response.
Hector Corona Villanueva is now facing charges of planting false evidence and causing a false emergency. The bear, though convincingly grotesque, was ultimately found to be made from synthetic materials and posed no actual threat. Still, the initial fear that it might be constructed from human remains escalated quickly, drawing officers, forensic investigators, and public concern over what some speculated could be the work of a serial killer.
It wasn’t. It was, according to officials, a prank.
The bear was designed by Robert Kelly, a South Carolina artist who specializes in horror-themed props. Kelly says he sold the bear online, unaware of how it would be used. His creations are often featured in haunted houses and horror film sets and are designed to be disturbing by nature. This particular piece had left his studio a week prior, en route to a buyer in Victorville. Kelly only learned of the situation when media coverage started circulating.
That it rose to this level of attention raises questions about the use of public safety resources and how the spectacle of fear can sometimes become its own story. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department defended the response, citing the initial uncertainty and potential risk. A video posted online shows officials in protective gloves bagging the bear for evidence, the kind of scene usually reserved for actual crime scenes.
The department has not shared why Villanueva left the bear outside the station, nor whether there was any intended message behind the act. It’s unclear whether the motive was artistic mischief, dark humor, or simple thoughtlessness.
The backlash, though, is real. Officials emphasized that false alarms like this can tie up emergency services and delay response to real crises. Still, some are wondering whether this incident merited an arrest at all—or if giving the prank so much attention simply amplifies what was likely meant to shock and amuse in the first place.
At a time when communities are already saturated with anxiety, real and imagined threats often travel the same circuits. In this case, the bear was fake—but the panic was real, and so now are the legal consequences.
