A Wyoming teenager chasing a yellow mouse in the “augmented-reality” smartphone app Pokémon Go ended up making a disturbing find – a dead body in the river by her house.
Shayla Wiggins told the Daily News that she had seen the mascot character Pikachu close to her Riverton home in the game, which encourages users to walk around their neighborhoods to find different kinds of virtual pocket monsters.
The 19-year-old said she had been talking to a friend on the porch around 8:40 a.m. Friday, but went for a stroll to the nearby Wind River in search of the yellow mouse and other Pokémon found near real-life natural water sources.
“I saw something in the water and thought ‘what is that?’” Wiggins said, adding that she has lived in Riverton her entire life but does not often hang out near the town of 10,000’s namesake geographical feature.
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“I cried and started shaking and called 911 right away,” the teen said.
The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office told County 10 that they are investigating the death, which appears to be accidental and possibly a drowning.
Pokémon Go, where users capture pocket monsters by walking around the real world, launched in the U.S. this week.
“It’s heartbreaking that I’m getting famous and he’s unknown,” she said, expressing sympathy for the dead man’s family and friends.
Pokémon Go, released in the U.S. this week, has generated headlines since its launch, with players saying they had injured themselves while walking and playing the game.
The start up screen for the app tells gamers to be aware of their surroundings as they roam.
Gamers may not be welcome everywhere, however.
Australia’s Northern Territory Police, Fire and Emergency Service put out a statement on its Facebook Wednesday reminding players that they do not need to go inside the Darwin Police Station to access a game feature.