‘Child’s body’ reported in woodland found to be ‘deeply disturbing’ childlike sex doll
Police have confirmed that the remains of what were thought to be a “child’s body” found near a Devon village are actually a “childlike sex doll”.
Devon and Cornwall Police said the find, near the village of Awliscombe, was “extremely disturbing” and they were searching for the owner of the “incredibly lifelike” doll.
On October 18, emergency services were called to multiple reports of a child’s body being found in a large black plastic bag.
Members of the public had partially opened the bag and officers, who had a limited view, believed the initial reports were accurate, prompting a major investigation to be launched, with nearby roads closed and forensic experts called in to assist.
But confusion arose the following day when Devon and Cornwall Police said the remains were “not human”.
After taking the object to a sterile location to open the bag, it was discovered that the suspicious body was actually an “incredibly realistic, full-weight childlike sex doll.”
In a statement, Devon and Cornwall Police said: “This discovery is extremely worrying and it is of great concern that someone would possess such a realistic, childlike doll and dump it where the public could find it.”
It turned out that such dolls were being sold on online marketplaces such as Shein, and in response it was forced to ban all sex doll products. It is not known where the baby seized by police in Devon was purchased.
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France’s consumer watchdog, known as DGCCRF, noticed the dolls on Shein and reported the matter to judicial authorities. The Paris prosecutor’s office said it received a complaint from the DGCCRF and referred the case to the National Office for Minors for investigation.
Shein said this week that it was banning all sex doll products and temporarily removing the adult products category pending review.
The company also launched an investigation to determine how listings were bypassing screening measures and said it was strengthening its keyword blacklist to further prevent evasion of product listing restrictions by sellers.
“While each seller is responsible for their own listings, Shein does not tolerate violations of marketplace rules and policies,” he said in a statement.
“All seller accounts associated with illegal or inappropriate sex doll products will be permanently banned. SHEIN will continue to fully cooperate with regulatory authorities in each jurisdiction by providing all requested seller, buyer and product information. The Company reaffirms its zero-tolerance stance on child sexual exploitation and publicly condemns it.”
Devon and Cornwall Police said their investigations were ongoing to establish the ownership of the doll and said they would “always do everything we can to protect children and would welcome any steps taken to prevent such dolls being produced, sold, owned or distributed”.
If you have information about this incident, you can contact the police on 101 using reference number 301 on 18/10/25.
