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Fake skeletons in lawn chairs found in river

Mary Bowerman
USA TODAY Network
In this frame from video provided by the La Paz Sheriff's Office, fake skeletons are strategically placed to appear as if they were sitting together with their lawn chairs bound to large rocks in the Colorado River near the Arizona and California border.

Two fake skeletons wearing sunglasses and seated in lawn chairs had Arizona authorities on a hunt to find human remains earlier this week.

A man was snorkeling in the Colorado River near the Arizona and California border on Monday when he came across what looked like two human skeletons tied to lawn chairs, according to a statement from the La Paz County Sheriff's Office.

The man reported the grisly find on Monday, and authorities sent a Buckskin Fire Department diver to the scene, only to find that the skeletons were fake.

Thedivercaptured the scene on camera and "found it to be an underwater tea party with two fake skeletons sitting in lawn chairs," according to a post on the sheriff's Facebook page.

The skeletons were tied to the chairs and one is holding a sign that says "Bernie" and the phrase "Dream in the River," with the date Aug. 16, 2014.

On the sheriff's office Facebook page, many are wondering if the sign is a nod to the movie Weekend at Bernie's, where two men haul their dead boss around.

Lt. Curtis Bagby said they are not planning on investigating who put the skeletons in the river, the Associated Press reported.

"I don't think they were trying to set up anything to scare anyone. I think they were gonna try to be funny," Bagby told AP.

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