A bank robber dubbed the "Geezer Bandit" who's accused of 16 Southern California heists over two years may not be a geriatric crook after all.
Bank surveillance footage show an armed, elderly man demanding money, but police are pursuing a theory that the suspect is disguised with a high-quality old man mask, The San Luis Obispo Tribune reports.
A costume company called SPFX Masks is the target of a search warrant, ordering officials to reveal names of customers who've bought the silicone mask called "The Elder" to Morro Bay police detectives, The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
The "Geezer Bandit" struck most recently on Dec. 2 at a Bank of America in San Luis Obispo, but the teller slipped a dye pack into his haul. It exploded in the parking lot, leaving a trail of red dye and sending bills flying, CBS News says. Cops recovered a notebook that they believe the thief dropped, perhaps from the shock of the cash exploding.
It's being tested for DNA and fingerprints, news reports said.
In late November, police, working with the FBI, revealed their theory that the bank robber might be a much younger man -- or even a woman -- according to CBS News.
A witness told cops that the robber's face didn't look authentic and later cops said the wrinkled contours of the the thief's visage didn't match with apparently smooth skin on the hands,
Police said the surveillance footage of the Geezer Bandit is an almost identical match with the company's "Elder" mask, according to the search warrant filed this week in San Luis Obispo Superior Court, Good Morning America says
The mask sells online for $810 from SPFX Masks, which has designed costumes for Hollywood, notably making the disfigured face of Freddy Krueger in the "Nightmare On Elm Street" film series, Good Morning America says.