PR group sorry for 'Sleepy Hollow' 'National Beheading Day' promotion

'Sleepy Hollow' cast (L-R): Orlando Jones, Katia Winter, Tom Mison, John Noble, Nicole Beharie and Lyndie Greenwood. (James Dimmock/FOX)

The public relations team behind a poorly timed promotion for “Sleepy Hollow” has apologized for an email sent to journalists Tuesday afternoon that declared Sept. 2 “National Beheading Day.”

The email was meant to stir hype for the DVD release of the 1st season of “Sleepy Hollow,” but it landed in journalist’s in boxes just hours after news broke that American journalist Steve Sotloff had been beheaded by ISIS.

"Heads will roll as sleepyheads celebrate Headless Day today, September 2. On this National Beheading Day, viewers everywhere can share in the fun as fans prepare for the release of 'Sleepy Hollow:' Season One on Digital HD now and arriving on Blu-ray and DVD September 16," the email read. It encouraged readers to use the hashtag #HeadlessDay and included four morbid e-cards, according to TVGuide.com.

Think Jam, the firm behind the promo, sent out an apology email one hour later.

"We apologize for the unfortunate timing of our 'Sleepy Hollow' Headless Day announcement," the email stated. "The tragic news of Steven Sotloff's death hit the web as the email was being sent. Our deepest sympathies are with him and his family, and we don't take the news lightly. Had we known this information prior, we would have never released the alert and realize it's in poor taste."

Twentieth Century Fox released an apology statement as well.

"Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment recognizes and apologizes for today's promotion for the Season One DVD release of 'Sleepy Hollow,'” the statement read, according to Deadline. “We regret the unfortunate timing of our announcement and our deepest sympathies go out to the families of all involved."

On Wednesday, The White House confirmed the authenticity of a video that showed the beheading of Sotloff by the Islamic State extremist group. About two weeks ago, a similar video was released that showed the beheading of American journalist James Foley.

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