Lifeguards working in Long Beach on Monday found a shocking and grotesque item on the sand on Monday — or so they thought.
At about 7:15 a.m., lifeguards saw what appeared to be a human skull that had washed ashore in the area of East Ocean Boulevard and Orizaba Avenue, according to the Long Beach Police Department. Officers were notified and a full-on investigation ensued, with part of the beach closed down to visitors as the search for other parts of the body.
KTLA arrived at the scene and spotted the apparent skull, which seemed to be missing part of its face and teeth.
Just as a massive homicide investigation was within sight, medical examiners made a shocking discovery of their own: The skull was a fake.
Medical examiners told KTLA that the skull appeared to be something like a prop, despite looking completely legitimate from a lengthy distance.
Now, rather than having to deal a full-blown, serious investigation, lifeguards can reminisce and laugh about the time they had the beach shut down over a piece of plastic.