Police in Australia launched a major investigation after a 'dead body' was spotted inside an abandoned suitcase, but forensic tests revealed it was a lifelike sex doll.
Discovery in Oallen
Alarmed members of the public alerted authorities after finding the suspicious luggage near a dirt road in Oallen, a quiet village in New South Wales. Believing they had uncovered a woman's remains, police rushed to the scene near Wolgon Road on Sunday afternoon and cordoned off the area to secure potential evidence.
Forensic tests
Following more than 20 hours of forensic testing, New South Wales Police confirmed the discovery was not human. In a statement, the police force said: "Following forensic examinations…police confirmed the item located in the bag was a life-like doll, wearing clothing, with hair and a nose piercing. The item also had markings that resembled bruises and grazes."
Police defend response
Despite the mix-up, Superintendent Linda Bradbury, Commander of the Hume Police District, defended the massive emergency response, insisting officers followed protocol. She said there were "no regrets at all" about treating the site as a potential homicide scene.
Bradbury said: "The idea is to not disturb crime scenes as much as possible, to maintain the integrity of our investigation. We've been able to collect the remains, and then take them to investigation at forensics to then determine that they are not human. We followed our processes…to a high level and I think it's no regrets all."
She explained that forensics officers initially inspected the suitcase at the scene before seizing the bag for deeper analysis. Bradbury added: "They were mistaken for a human originally, so they are very realistic in terms of looking like human remains."
Witnesses praised
Authorities praised the bystanders who first called emergency services after spotting the discarded luggage in the bushland. Bradbury said: "The members of the public did initially think they came across human remains. They were affected yesterday and we will be in touch to let them know that it was not human remains."
