Australian police find lifelike doll misidentified as human remains in suitcase

Night scene on a country road with police cars and a small blue tent
Forensic testing revealed that what police thought was a body was, in fact, a lifelike doll.

Two men were traveling along a rural lane near the village of Oallen, 230km south-west of Sydney, when they discovered a suitcase containing a figure that appeared to be a corpse.

The police were called immediately, and a crime scene was secured. A homicide investigation was announced that same afternoon.

Forensic testing later proved the figure was a realistic doll – complete with clothing, hair and a piercing – and the markings beside it mimicked bruises and grazes.

Senior officer Linda Bradbury said the doll looked like the texture of real human remains, but scientific tests confirmed it was a prop.
He added that no human body was present and the enquiry was closed, with police apologising for the distress caused to the locals and to those who reported the find.