Police in Greene County, Tennessee, have urged residents to stop calling 911 after a realistic Halloween display was mistaken for a dead body. The decoration, featuring a mannequin lying in a driveway with bloody handprints on a garage, prompted multiple emergency calls.
Officers investigated the scene on Chuckey Pike only to discover it was a puppet stuffed with straw, part of an early Halloween display. The Greene County Sheriff's Department posted on Facebook: 'ATTENTION EVERYONE!!! For those of you driving on Chuckey Pike in Greene County: THIS IS A HALLOWEEN DECORATION! Do NOT call 911 reporting a dead body. Instead, congratulate the homeowner on a great display.'
The post garnered mixed reactions, with some praising the realism and others questioning its appropriateness for children. One user commented: 'Literally congratulations to these people making something look so real!' while another asked: 'What kind of picture does this paint for young children!!!!!'
This incident comes as Americans spent a record $8.4bn (£6.2bn) on Halloween last year, according to the National Retail Federation.
