Police in Australia launched a major investigation after a suitcase found beside a rural road was believed to contain the body of a woman, only for forensic examination to reveal that it contained a highly realistic sex doll.
The discovery was made around 1pm on Sunday in Oallen, New South Wales, when two men who had stopped during a drive noticed the suspicious suitcase and alerted authorities.
Police rushed to the scene and initially treated the case as a possible death. The area was cordoned off while forensic officers examined the suitcase and began efforts to determine the identity of the suspected victim.
Superintendent Linda Bradbury said the initial discovery was understandably shocking, with officers believing the object inside could have been human remains.
The suitcase was subsequently sent for forensic testing as police launched enquiries into how it had ended up by the roadside and whether a woman had been reported missing.
However, forensic analysis eventually established that there were no human remains inside the suitcase. Instead, officers discovered a sex doll that was reportedly realistic enough to initially be mistaken for a human body.
Bradbury said police were relieved to confirm that there was no suspicious death involved, while praising officers for taking the report seriously and following proper investigative procedures.
The scene, located just over an hour’s drive north-east of Canberra, had been heavily cordoned off during the operation, with photographs showing forensic officers examining the area and the suitcase being placed inside a blue evidence bag.
Bradbury said police had no regrets about launching the extensive operation, stressing that officers had acted according to the information available to them at the time.
NSW Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism Yasmin Catley also defended the police response, saying authorities were expected to act swiftly whenever a potential crime was reported.
She said a thorough investigation and forensic examination ultimately allowed officers to confirm that the suitcase did not contain human remains.
While the unusual discovery ended without a homicide investigation, the incident highlighted just how convincing modern realistic dolls can appear when viewed under alarming circumstances.
