A report of possible human remains found near Fergus Falls, Minn., this week turned out to be something less spooky: a fake Halloween skeleton decoration.

The Otter Tail County Sheriff's Office was alerted a little after 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday by a group of hunters who said they found "possible" human bones in the Otter Tail River, Lt. Greg Seim said on Friday. The possible remains were found in a stretch of river west of Fergus Falls, just outside the city limits.

Other agencies including the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the Fergus Falls Police Department assisted with the investigation. They determined it was not a human but rather the remains of a skeleton decoration that was discarded in the river, apparently a long time ago, Seim wrote in his report.

It was a "pretty realistic"-looking skeleton, Seim noted.

"We take each of these calls very seriously, and that's why we had the response we did," he said.