Hanging Mistaken for Halloween Decoration

AP ^ | Thursday, October 27, 2005

[jb6]

(10-27) 10:55 PDT Frederica, Del. (AP) --

The apparent suicide of a woman found hanging from a tree went unreported for hours because passers-by thought the body was a Halloween decoration, authorities said.

The 42-year-old woman used rope to hang herself across the street from some homes on a moderately busy road late Tuesday or early Wednesday, state police said.

The body, suspended about 15 feet above the ground, could be easily seen from passing vehicles.

State police spokesman Cpl. Jeff Oldham and neighbors said people noticed the body at breakfast time Wednesday but dismissed it as a holiday prank. Authorities were called to the scene more than three hours later.

"They thought it was a Halloween decoration," Fay Glanden, wife of Mayor William Glanden, told The (Wilmington) News Journal.

"It looked like something somebody would have rigged up," she said.

[SmithL]

But it sure looked realistic.

[Rob_DSM]

That is really disturbing.

[Theresawithanh]

OMG, how bizarre!

I remember one Halloween years ago when I was driving my nieces and nephews home from a party and someone had a dummy dressed up and laying in the road. I slammed on the brakes so as not to hit it, jostling the kids around inside the car pretty good (this was before seat belt laws). When I was able to breathe again and realized it was a dummy, I had a good laugh.

[Michael.SF.]

This was previously posted. I believe it was around..........Halloween!

[Blind Eye Jones]

Great story for a Stephan King novel.