German police launched a full-scale homicide investigation after what appeared to be a human corpse was discovered in the woods only to realize five hours later that it was actually a discarded sex doll.

The eerie find was made by a dog walker at a demolition site in Rostock, north-eastern Germany, around 8 PM on Saturday. Concerned authorities quickly mobilized a large team of forensic experts, homicide detectives, and pathologists, deploying drones and a high-tech 3D scanner to meticulously examine the scene.


A Crime Scene Like No Other

The area was immediately cordoned off, with officers carefully photographing the supposed ‘remains’ and taking forensic measurements. But it wasn’t until five hours into the operation—when one investigator finally touched the ‘body’ that they realized the shocking truth: the so-called victim was made of synthetic material.


The realistic female sex doll, which had been partially burned and stuffed into a blue IKEA plastic bag, had deceived even experienced investigators. German news outlet Nordkurier reported that authorities suspect the doll was intentionally set on fire and dumped in public—though the motive remains unclear.


A funeral director had already been called to transport what was thought to be a human body to the morgue but was swiftly dismissed after the bizarre revelation. Instead, officers took custody of the doll for disposal.


Not the First Time Police Have Been Fooled

While the case left officers in Rostock baffled, it’s not the first time authorities have mistaken a sex doll for a human corpse.


Thailand, 2022: Beachgoers at Bang Saen Beach in Chonburi panicked after spotting what looked like a naked woman’s body lying on the shore with a t-shirt draped over her head. Police rushed to the scene, only to discover the ‘corpse’ was actually an expensive Japanese AV Idol sex doll worth an estimated £469. Investigators believe it had been discarded in a river and drifted out to sea before washing up on the beach.


United States, 2022: Police in Georgia responded to a report of a dead body along a hiking trail in the Hitchiti National Forest. Deputies arrived to find what seemed to be a blonde-haired woman wearing blue shorts and a pink tube top. On closer inspection, the ‘body’ turned out to be another life-sized sex doll. Jones County deputies humorously nicknamed the ‘victim’ Selena, later announcing that she was ‘a little under the weather’ but ‘expected to make a full recovery.’


A Case Officers Won’t Forget

Despite their extensive experience, officers in Rostock admitted they had never encountered a case quite like this before. The peculiar mix-up has left many amused, but it also underscores the uncanny realism of modern sex dolls, which can sometimes be indistinguishable from actual human remains—at least, until closer examination.


For now, no crime has been recorded, but authorities are still investigating who dumped the doll and why.