Police have confirmed that remains thought to have been a “child’s body” found near a Devon village was in fact “childlike sex doll”.
Devon and Cornwall Police said that the find near the village of Awliscombe was “deeply disturbing”, and are searching for the owner of the “incredibly lifelike” doll.
Emergency services were called to several reports of a child’s body being found in a large black plastic bag on October 18.
Members of the public had partially opened the bag, and with a restricted view, officers believed the initial reports to be accurate, sparking a major investigation with nearby roads closed and forensic experts called in to assist.
Confusion followed however, when Devon and Cornwall Police said the next day that the remains “were not human”.
It has now been revealed that after moving the object to a sterile location to open the bag, it was discovered the suspected body was in fact an “an incredibly lifelike, fully weighted childlike sex doll”.
Devon and Cornwall Police said in a statement: “This discovery is deeply alarming, and it is of great concern that someone had possession of a such a realistic, childlike doll and had dumped it in a location where it could be found by members of the public.”
It comes as such dolls were found being sold on online marketplaces such as Shein, which has been forced to ban all sex-doll products in response. It is not known where the doll recovered by police in Devon was purchased.
.jpeg)
France's consumer watchdog, known as DGCCRF, spotted 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 to investigate.
Shein said this week that it has now banned all sex-doll products, and temporarily removed its adult products category for review.
The company has also launched an investigation to determine how the listings bypassed its screening measures and said it strengthened its keyword blacklist to further prevent circumvention of product listing restrictions by sellers.
“While each seller is responsible for their own listings, Shein does not tolerate any breach of marketplace rules and policies,” it said in a statement.
“All seller accounts linked to illegal or non-compliant sex-doll products will be permanently banned. SHEIN will continue to cooperate fully with regulatory authorities in every jurisdiction, providing all requested seller, buyer, and product information. The company reaffirms its zero-tolerance stance toward child sexual exploitation, which it unequivocally condemns.”
Devon and Cornwall Police said its enquiries are ongoing to establish ownership on the doll and said it “ will always do everything that we can to safeguard children and would welcome any steps taken to prevent these types of dolls from being produced, sold, owned, or circulated”.
If you have any information about this incident, you can contact the force via 101 quoting reference number 301 18/10/25.
French government blocks access to Shein’s website over sex dolls scandal
Chinese giant Shein bans sex-dolls amid French probe into ‘child-like’ listings
Retired banker ‘proud and exhausted’ as he completes 200 marathons in 200 days
Emotional veterans say LGBT memorial ‘means everything to us’
Village told it cannot have Christmas lights unless England flags taken down
