Mummy face down in yard draws emergency response
DETROIT-- It's not exactly life-like, with its white cotton head and black body, but lying there face down on the grass, totally slack, with its arms outstretched, a mummy created for Halloween is drawing all kinds of attention, CBS Detroit reports.
The attention isn't coming from the public, but from Detroit's police and emergency services.
Detroit resident Kendrick Hardaway reportedly says his mother's house has gotten repeated visits by public safety officials who think they may have just stumbled on a dead body in the front yard.
They pulled up three times last Tuesday and four times Wednesday to rescue -- or collect -- the body, and left shaking their heads, the station reported.
The big dummy is on Mendota Street, near 6 Mile, and neighbors have also reportedly been fooled. "One of the neighbors came out crying cause she thought it was somebody out in the yard," Hardaway said.
He added his mother has put the mummy out for three or four Halloween seasons, but this is the first time it's gotten so much attention.
"A lot of folks will drive by and think somebody is laying in the grass and they call (police)," he added.
According to CBS Detroit, the mummy-maker, Larethia Haddon, thinks it's hilarious. And police have reportedly told her she doesn't have to change a thing, because there's nothing illegal about Halloween decorations.
The woman's son has a theory as to why it's causing such a stir.
"It's just, Detroit's got a bad rap, of course it's got its fair share of crime and for lack of a better term, the black sheep effect, we've gotten a bad rap over the years ... shooting here, stabbing there ... But it's not all bad," Hardaway said.