It was a grisly scene, a former NBA journeyman was said to be lying six feet under in a shallow grave. That player, Quinton Ross, was apparently murdered and dumped in Queens, New York. Days and weeks before his "death," men had been harassing his aunt trying to gauge Ross's location. 

Sounds scary, huh? Did reading this make the hair on the back of your head stand up? Yet, this has all turned out to be an elaborate hoax, one perpetuated by an incorrect New York Post news report detailing the alleged crimes of some shadowy men and the disappearance of Ross. The Post, as well as other social media sites, have since amended and retracted their original stories.

Ross's aunt, with whom he's been living recently, said her mother "saw these men chasing him" before he disappeared.

"People have been calling for Quinton asking about a car or getting some money, but I tell them he doesn't live here," Stachia Jacobs of Far Rockaway said.

"Why did they bury him? What could he have done? Those bastards!" she cried out.

"It looks like he was murdered and buried in a shallow grave," said Noel Moses, 61.

So what really happened? Is Ross alive and well? Yes he is, but he said the crazy news led to a "tough day." The Associated Press caught up with Ross and he was far from dead. The healthy 32-year-old Guard/Forward said the hardest part is dealing with the hoax was that some family members believed the tragic news.

"A couple (relatives) already heard it," Ross remarked. "They were crying. I mean, it was a tough day, man, mostly for my family and friends ... My phone was going crazy. I checked Facebook. Finally, I went on the Internet, and they were saying I was dead. I just couldn't believe it." 

The New Jersey (now Brooklyn) Nets, Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Clippers player is indeed still breathing. Sadly though, a man by the same name is actually dead. The whole thing was just a heinous mixup. And it's a really terrible day for the actual victim and his friends and family.

What would you do if you were the target of an insidious death hoax? Let us know in the comments section below.