Images of cloaked figure who 'dropped raw meat' prompt police investigation

Authorities in Gastonia, North Carolina, have been unable to determine source of photos that have gone viral: 'We don't know if someone is playing around'

Images of a cloaked figure who reportedly dropped raw meat near an apartment complex in North Carolina last week went viral and frightened local residents enough that police looked into the matter.

A Gastonia police spokeswoman, Donna Lahser, told the Guardian that police received a call to meet with the manager at Hudson Woods apartment complex near Charlotte on 17 August after the photo of the figure surfaced online.