In what sounds like a deleted scene from a horror movie, a disturbing teddy bear that appeared to be made of stitched-together human skin was found outside a gas station in Victorville, California on Thursday. Naturally, panic followed.
San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies were called to the AMPM at Bear Valley and Amethyst Road after someone reported finding an object “covered in human remains.” The grotesque teddy bear was lying on the ground near the convenience store, looking like it wandered out of Buffalo Bill’s workshop.
BREAKING – A teddy bear believed to be wrapped in crudely stitched human skin was discovered today at a Victorville, California gas station. The Victorville coroner’s office is actively investigating this unsettling find. pic.twitter.com/TNvupolo7K
— Right Angle News Network (@Rightanglenews) July 14, 2025
Police responded immediately and handed the object over to the county coroner’s office. With no context, and a visual that screamed Silence of the Lambs, speculation went wild. Was this the calling card of a serial killer? A cartel message? Some sort of twisted cult symbol?
But now it appears the truth may be a lot less criminal and a lot more Internet-age creepy.
According to reports from ABC7 and the Victorville Daily Press, social media sleuths quickly found what looks like the exact same teddy bear for sale on Etsy. It turns out, the “skin” is actually latex — designed by an artist whose entire business revolves around grotesque, horror-themed artwork.
Police have not verified whether it is human skin, but he resemblance to Etsy’s horror-themed teddy bears suggests it's a possible prank. pic.twitter.com/pKmtW85cfq
— Citizen Caller (@CitizenCallerUS) July 14, 2025
That artist, Robert Kelly of South Carolina-based DarkSeed Creations, confirmed it was his bear. “I made this bear and shipped it to a customer last week,” he told reporters in an email. After being bombarded with messages online, Kelly took to Facebook to clear the air. “Yes, I made the bear in the news video. Yes, that’s my Etsy shop. Yes, I shipped it to a customer in Victorville, CA last week,” he wrote.
Kelly emphasized that he had no idea what the buyer planned to do with the item and certainly wasn’t involved in staging a prank 2,500 miles away. “No, I did not have any knowledge of the buyer’s intentions,” he added.
Law enforcement has not yet confirmed the Etsy connection or ruled out foul play, but all signs suggest this was a dark joke taken a little too far.
In the meantime, the bear — now infamous — has gone viral, and the story serves as a reminder that in 2025, reality often looks stranger than fiction. Or at least a very creepy Etsy listing.
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