Mysterious clown sightings have South Carolina town on edge
From books to television to movies, clowns have managed to become symbols of terror, a feeling the residents of one South Carolina community know all too well.
It all began with a pair of reports to the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office in Greenville, South Carolina, on August 20 of "a suspicious person dressed in circus clown clothing and white face paint" trying to lure kids into the woods close to Fleetwood Manor Apartments.
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Witnesses were initially uncooperative, but when an officer made a follow-up visit, additional witnesses came forward, according to WYFF. One woman said her son reported seeing clowns "whispering" and trying to lure him into the woods and, later, saw clowns in the same area flashing green lights.
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Other children reported seeing clowns in the woods attempting to lure them by showing them money.
But it's not just children reporting the sightings, per WYFF's report.
Another resident told the deputy that when she was walking to her home on Aug. 21 at about 2:30 a.m., she saw a large clown with a “blinking nose” standing under lamp post near a dumpster. She said the clown waved at her, but did not approach her or speak.
As creepy as it all sounds, it's not the first time in recent memory such creepy clown sightings have occurred. As the New York Times points out, similar instances have happened in Chicago, Green Bay, and Albuquerque, though none of those sightings came with the more serious claims of luring children.
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As for the Greenville cases, there are plenty of reasons to be skeptical, notes The Atlantic. For instance, not a shred of evidence -- not a red nose, floppy shoe, or empty canister of face paint -- has been found by police.
Similarly, the responding officer followed up on claims from children that the alleged clowns lived (seriously) in a home by a pond in the woods. The investigation turned up said home but, again, no evidence.
Sheriff's spokesman Ryan Flood told The Atlantic that it's entirely possible this could be a prank or the work of young imaginations, and added, “But at the same time, if people dressed as clowns are trying to lure kids into the woods, we have to investigate it seriously.”
Management at the apartment complex is also taking it seriously, issuing a letter to residents to be aware of the reported sightings.
And the residents have definitely taken things seriously. Things have gotten so ridiculous, residents of the complex are taking matters into their own hands. From the WYFF story:
The deputy said he investigated a report of gunfire the night before, and learned that men from the apartment complex, who were aware of the complaints about clowns, fired weapons in the direction of the wooded area after they heard noises.
No clowns were reported injured in the shooting.
Meanwhile, the reports are spreading. Two more reports, each from a different apartment complex in the Greenville area, have come in of children reportedly seeing clowns.
Marcus Gilmer is Mashable's Assistant Real-Times News Editor on the West Coast, reporting on breaking news from his location in San Francisco. An Alabama native, Marcus earned his BA from Birmingham-Southern College and his MFA in Communications from the University of New Orleans. Marcus has previously worked for Chicagoist, The A.V. Club, the Chicago Sun-Times and the San Francisco Chronicle.
