Australian police called in to investigate a body found in a suitcase have concluded that the ‘victim’ was in fact a lifelike doll. The suitcase was discovered by two men on the side of a road near the small village of Oallen, about 230km (143 miles) south-west of Sydney.

Initial Shock and Investigation Launched

On Monday, police announced a murder investigation, sparking intense interest in the case, but backtracked hours later, saying forensic testing had proved the contents were not human. The contents in the suitcase were ‘mistaken for a human originally, so they are very realistic in terms of looking like human remains,’ said Supt Linda Bradbury from the Hume Police District. ‘But we’ve confirmed by other means that they are not.’

The doll was wearing clothing, had hair, and a nose piercing, according to police. It also had markings that resembled bruises and grazes. Supt Bradbury said forensic teams and investigators had attended the scene on Sunday and that all processes had been followed. ‘The idea is to not disturb crime scenes as much as possible, to maintain the integrity of our investigation,’ Bradbury said, adding she had ‘no regrets’ about how the case was handled.

Community Reaction and Police Response

Hours earlier, Bradbury had told media that it had been ‘quite a shocking discovery’ for the two men who found the suitcase. ‘Unfortunately, they were on a weekend drive as a lot of people do over the weekend and stopped for a break,’ she said. She said the pair had made the ‘right decision’ to report the find. ‘They were affected yesterday and we will be in touch to let them know that it was not human remains,’ Bradbury said.

The Independent reported that a local source said a rambler had spotted a woman’s foot and hand poking out of the undergrowth and called the police, thinking it was a dead body. The police initially thought they had a murder investigation on their hands and called in a forensics team. They had an officer manning each end of the road, with two forensic vans and other investigators hunting for clues. When they finally dragged the ‘corpse’ out, they realized the blunder. The officers had a big laugh about it. The doll was described as ‘very dirty, broken, and overused.’

Investigation Concluded and Procedure Affirmed

The force said it had followed ‘proper procedure’ by sending a forensic pathologist to the woodland near Kineton and cordoning off a country lane for 31 hours. A spokesperson added that the suspected body was actually a ‘discarded and realistic life-size doll.’ Police have now closed their investigations, with no further action required.