Wakefield police say a 911 caller reported a possible dead body in the back of a pickup truck, but officers found a mannequin used for fire and rescue training instead. The department posted the clarification on Facebook May 19, stressing that no dead body was
A call to 911 set off a heavy response in Wakefield—at least at first—when someone believed they saw a dead body in the bed of a pickup truck.
“Despite what other pages are reporting, there was no dead body found in a truck in Wakefield today,” Wakefield police posted on Facebook on May 19.
The department said the incident began when a person called Wakefield police to report a potential dead body inside the bed of a pickup truck. Officers located the truck only to find a dummy used for fire and rescue training lying in the bed of the vehicle.
The clarification came after the mannequin report apparently spread online, prompting continued confusion about what officers actually found. Wakefield police emphasized that the situation did not involve a body.
What started as a report of a death ended with a training prop in the back of a truck—an outcome that still leaves the same uneasy question behind: how quickly can a frightening image turn into a crisis for responders and a scare for a community?
Wakefield Massachusetts police 911 call mannequin truck fire and rescue training public safety