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South Carolina Clown Sightings: What Could They Be? Why Are They Spreading? Are Kids Safe? [Video]

By Patricia Ramirez
Published on: 12:35 PST, Sep 3, 2016

The clown sightings in several South Carolina communities have gotten so frequent and disturbing that the creepy phenomenon is now trending on social media. Parents are freaked out, police are perplexed, and children are left wondering if the next clown they see might be trying to hurt them. The South Carolina clown sightings have taken place in the woods, in people’s driveways, and in backyards. Several local police departments have repeatedly investigated and residents have tried to snap photos, but no image of a South Carolina clown has been recorded.

“There were allegations that they had seen these clowns with guns, but our investigators responded and didn’t find any shell casings or anything like that. At this point we have not found any information or evidence to corroborate anything. I am not saying it is not true, but we haven’t found any evidence yet.”

Reportedly, the South Carolina clown sightings started at a little apartment complex, Fleetwood Manor apartments in Greenville, and were so disturbing that the property managers sent out letters to residents warning them to keep an extra close eye on their children, reports Reuters.

The creepy South Carolina clown sightings started with the little ones; children at the complex were reporting to their parents that creepy clowns were trying to lure them into the woods with candy and money. At first, parents thought it was a case of kids being kids, but then the sightings escalated. The stories got more credible. Parents in South Carolina started seeing clowns, too. They started hearing them at night, clanging chains and even hitting the chains on apartment doors.

There were reports of clowns with laser pointers, clowns shooting guns, and clowns in South Carolina living in abandoned shacks in the woods. But as intensely as the local police investigated the South Carolina clown sightings (which they are calling “suspicious behavior”), no physical evidence of a single clown has been uncovered.

Then the South Carolina clown sightings seemed to stop. Only the end of the bizarre sightings was simply an illusion, a transition period, as the South Carolina clown sightings suddenly began to snowball and spread.

Now, several South Carolina cities are fielding reports of clown sightings. It could be copycat clowns trying to get in on some attention from the original clown sightings, or it could be something else entirely. Nobody knows what they want, if they intend harm, or why they seem to vanish without a trace. But people are spooked and police are calling the situation “serious,” something that they want to see come to an end.

“This is something we are taking very seriously, especially because of the allegations of the people dressed at clowns attempting to lure children into the woods.”

So, what’s behind the South Carolina clown sightings? There are several theories, but because there has been no real evidence recovered, no one has reached a conclusion.

The earliest theory was that the apartment complex was just dealing with some folks in clown costumes trying to freak people out. But nobody knew if the clowns being sighted were actually trying to snatch the children they were allegedly trying to lure in the woods, or if they were just out to scare.

As the South Carolina clown sightings continued, and one even involved a gun, witnesses became more and more sure that the clowns were trying to do more than scare people. Residents became convinced that they might want to cause real harm, and kids started to be kept inside a little bit more.

“I will usually let my son play in our backyard where I can see him from the kitchen, but now I won’t let him go outside the house without me. All it would take is one second. One promise of candy and he would be gone.”

Another theory that is starting to gain traction is that the South Carolina clown sightings are related to some kind of movie promotion. The running theory is that they could have something to do with the soon-to-be-released flick 31 directed by Rob Zombie. Reportedly, the movie is about a gang of evil clowns. Ironically (or perhaps not) it screened in Greenville, South Carolina, on Thursday.

Apparently, the movie’s reps aren’t commenting on a possible connection between the movie and the South Carolina clown sightings.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4pUyWRFfj4

There’s another highly-anticipated movie coming up related to an evil clown; perhaps the most famous evil clown ever concocted. The remake of Stephen King’s It is currently in production, and its evil antagonist Pennywise the Clown has reportedly been revamped for a new generation. That film is scheduled for widespread release in September 2017, and there has been some speculation that the South Carolina clown sightings could have something to do with its promotion.

Some locals believe that the clowns aren’t there at all, that they are just the product of people’s imaginations and/or entirely made up, or that they could even be some form of mass hysteria. Still others think that there could be something otherworldly or supernatural about the clowns; they haven’t left behind any physical evidence despite the multitude of sightings. And nobody can seem to record them in a photo or on film. And it’s almost Halloween; the veil is getting thin.

Regardless of what they are, South Carolina law is well prepared to deal with an influx of creepy and disturbing clowns. Apparently, it is illegal for anyone over the age of 18 to dress up like a clown in South Carolina. That means that whoever is behind the freaky clown sightings could definitely be prosecuted for their weird and frightening behavior.

So far, nobody has been hurt or actually lured away by a creepy clown in South Carolina, but because the situation is still a mystery, law enforcement is encouraging parents to keep an extra close eye on their kids. At least until the mysterious case of the South Carolina clown sightings has been solved.

***Update: The tweet above was made by a person who claims it’s a picture of a clown related to the South Carolina clown sightings; however, the claim has not been validated.***

[Image via Shutterstock]

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