The Ted Smith Show

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A North Carolina family is demanding answers after the body of Robert Owens was mistaken for a Halloween decoration. Owens was last seen by his family on October 1.

A week later, his body was discovered by a construction worker at a home in China Grove that had been empty for some time. He was half-naked and lying face down in the grass with cuts and scrapes on his arms. It is unclear how long Owens' body was in the yard.

However, the day before, a landscaper mowed the lawn, going around Owens' body, thinking it was a Halloween decoration.

"Don't know how you can do that," Owens' sister, Haley Shue, told WJZY. "Mow right beside someone and assume that they're Halloween decorations at a house no one lives at."

Authorities told the family that foul play was not suspected in Owens' death, though they are still awaiting the results of the autopsy to determine how he died.

Shue isn't convinced, telling the news station that her brother had no connection to the house where his body was found.

"My grandmother has lived off of Shue Road for 40+ years," Shue said, "and he's never been to this house. He's never known of this house this far off the road. He's never been back here. He's never been known to come here."

"We want answers," Shue told the news station while fighting back tears.