Police in New South Wales, Australia, have closed a murder investigation after what appeared to be human remains found inside a dumped suitcase turned out to be a lifelike doll.

The discovery was made when two motorists travelling through the countryside near the small village of Oallen, about 230km south-west of Sydney, spotted the abandoned suitcase by the roadside.

According to BBC, the discovery prompted police to secure the area, establish a crime scene and launch a homicide investigation into what appeared to be human remains.

However, forensic examination later confirmed that the contents of the suitcase were not human, abruptly ending a murder probe that had attracted widespread public attention.

“The doll was mistaken for a human originally, so they are very realistic in terms of looking like human remains,” Hume Police District Superintendent Linda Bradbury said, according to the outlet.

“The doll was wearing clothing, had hair and a nose piercing. It also had markings that resembled bruises and grazes,” she added.

Bradbury defended the police response, explaining that officers had to preserve the scene until forensic specialists could determine the nature of the suspected remains.

“The idea is to not disturb crime scenes as much as possible, to maintain the integrity of our investigation,” she said. “We don’t like to disturb remains too much in situ, particularly when we have faced inclement weather.”

She also commended the two motorists for immediately contacting police after discovering the suspicious suitcase.

Police have since confirmed that the investigation has been concluded.