‘Possible’ human remains found in northern Minnesota river turn out to be Halloween skeleton

The spooky discovery was reported and investigated by several law enforcement agencies before determining it was a discarded Halloween decoration.

The Minnesota Star Tribune
November 1, 2024 at 3:35PM
Skeletons and other Halloween decorations sit in front of a house in Minneapolis. This week, a fake skeleton was investigated in north Minnesota after hunters discovered it in a river and reported it as possible human remains. Rain mixed with snow and sleet made for a cold, wet day Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020 in Minneapolis. (Anthony Soufflé/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

A report of possible human remains found near Fergus Falls, Minn., this week turned out to be something less spooky: a fake Halloween skeleton decoration.

The Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Office was alerted a little after 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday by a group of hunters who said they found “possible” human bones in the Otter Tail River, Lt. Greg Seim said on Friday. The possible remains were found in a stretch of river west of Fergus Falls, just outside the city limits.

Other agencies including the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the Fergus Falls Police Department assisted with the investigation. They determined it was not a human but rather the remains of a skeleton decoration that was discarded in the river, apparently a long time ago, Seim wrote in his report.

It was a “pretty realistic”-looking skeleton, Seim noted.

“We take each of these calls very seriously, and that’s why we had the response we did,” he said.

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Louis Krauss

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Louis Krauss is a general assignment reporter for the Star Tribune.

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