Hikers Find ‘Remains’ That Were Part of a Plot

Three frightened hikers made a grisly discovery Sunday morning and rushed to the Fillmore sheriff’s substation with the evidence--a severed human head.

It turned out the skull and the skeletons of three adults that were hanging from a tree in the mountains off Sycamore Road were fakes--props of a movie company shooting on location.

In the belief the “remains” were part of a ritualistic slaying, the coroner was called in to examine the realistic-looking head, which was made of rubber and plastic.

“I examined the head and determined it was a phony,” said Ventura County Deputy Coroner James Baroni. What tipped him off, he said, was a partial spinal column made of Styrofoam.

But to make sure there were no real bodily remains in the woods, Baroni took a helicopter to Fillmore to check out the scene. The skeletons too were bogus.

Fortunately, the prop guys from Santa Ventura Studios had showed up by then to explain.

Baroni said the Ventura-based company is shooting a television series called “Born Free” and the skeletons are part of the plot.

The studio crew “got a kick out of it,” Baroni said. “They were happy the bodies were so impressive.”

Afterward, everyone began to lighten up.

“We were apprehensive at first,” Baroni said. “It appeared to be something of a brutal, serial ritual. But then we all relaxed when we saw they were just props.”