The body of man who had been shot in the head was left decomposing on a patio for several days because neighbors thought the corpse was a Halloween decoration.

Mostafa Mahmoud Zayed, 75, had apparently been dead since Monday of a self-inflicted gunshot to one eye. He was slumped over a chair on the third-floor balcony of his Los Angeles apartment, the L.A. Times reported.

Neighbors say it was a bloody scene, but they didn’t bother calling the police because they thought the lifeless figure was just a “Halloween dummy“.

Halloween is often celebrated in the U.S. with intricate displays outside houses featuring Jack O’Lanterns and gory decors.

[Image via flickr]