12-foot Halloween skeleton to be replaced by creator after it was stolen from Austin neighborhood

AUSTIN, Texas - A security camera showed a thief steal a 12-foot Halloween skeleton from the front yard of a Northwest Austin home.

On Oct. 15, a white SUV drove up and stopped in front of a home on Fathom Circle in Oak Shadows Condominiums.

"We have a very blatant, no trespassing sign at the entrance of our street. There's only one way in, and it's the same way out. So we were struck with shock when we learned that our neighbor's large 12-foot skeleton had been stolen in broad daylight," said Grazia Ruskin the president of the HOA.

Ruskin spoke to FOX 7 Austin on behalf of the homeowner who was victimized. The Halloween display, a 12-foot tall skeleton, is not cheap. They can cost several hundred dollars, but a decision was made to only post images on social media.

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"We have not involved APD at this point. My neighbor did not file a police report. I guess, you know, our thinking, her thinking and then our thinking at large is they're very strained, constrained with their resources right now," said Ruskin. 

On the video, a person, possibly a woman wearing a red headscarf can be seen casually walking around the display. In broad daylight, she pulls it down and loads it up.

"Just on this particular Saturday at 4:45 p.m., all of us were either inside our homes or not home at all. And that thief grabbed that skeleton, as you see in the footage, and somehow managed to get it into the back of their vehicle," said Ruskin.

Still images provide a closer view of the SUV, which has possible damage to the front bumper, and of the thief. Ruskin says the skeleton, wedged in the back of the SUV, was last seen near a Goodwill store. The driver apparently stopped there to secure it better. 

The incident has gone viral.

"Really, it's gone national. We have folks from as far as Tennessee and Florida and Utah and Michigan who have reached out," said Ruskin.

Since the incident has gone viral, the creator of the skeleton, Lance Allen, found a replacement for the owner. It will be shipped out soon.