A seemingly gruesome discovery mobilized Australian police before taking a completely unexpected turn. On Sunday, what appeared to be the remains of a woman was found in a suitcase abandoned by the side of a road in New South Wales. The case was immediately treated as a possible homicide. Forensic examinations ultimately determined that no human body was found in the suitcase: it was a remarkably lifelike doll.
An abandoned suitcase on the side of a road
The alarm was raised around 12:50 p.m. on Sunday, August 9, in Oallen, a rural community located approximately 40 miles (61 kilometers) south of Goulburn, New South Wales. Members of the public had discovered a suitcase on the side of Wolgon Road, near Oallen Ford Road. Upon examining the contents, they suspected they might have found human remains. Police officers from The Hume district immediately attended the scene. Upon arrival, they also considered the contents to be those of a woman. A crime scene was established, and forensic specialists were called in. The possibility of homicide was then taken seriously.
Clothing, hair, piercings and fake injuries
The appearance of what was in the suitcase was realistic enough to raise suspicion. The object was wearing clothes, had hair, and a nose piercing. Even more disturbing, visible marks on the doll resembled bruises and scratches. All these details reinforced, in the initial hours, the hypothesis of human remains. The police deliberately avoided excessive handling of what they believed to be a body in order to preserve any potential evidence. The poor weather conditions also led investigators to take extra precautions at the scene.
The laboratory discovers that it is not a human being.
The suitcase and its contents were then transferred to a forensic laboratory for thorough examination. The results came back on Monday morning, August 10: the alleged human remains were not human. The analyses definitively established that it was an extremely realistic-looking doll. The police then officially stated that no human remains had been found in the suitcase.
The homicide investigation has been closed.
The discovery triggered a major police response, given the possibility that a woman had been killed and then left in a suitcase. Once the nature of the object was established through forensic examination, this hypothesis was definitively ruled out. New South Wales police announced that the investigation was complete. No body was found, and no victim is linked to the mysterious suitcase abandoned by the roadside.
