A father and child thought they made a grisly discovery near Lake Winola in Overfield Township, Pennsylvania, over the weekend. Police received reports that the pair saw what appeared to be a human foot protruding from a black plastic bag in a stream as they went to recover a lost ball.
"What should have been an enjoyable walk on a Sunday afternoon along a stream turned traumatic, especially to the child, who saw a portion of a thigh protruding from a green trash bag in the water and a foot of what appeared to be a 4-6-year-old child hanging out of the other corner of the bag," Wyoming County District Attorney Joseph Peters said in a statement.
The Wyoming County Coroner and Pennsylvania State Police were called to the scene and located the bag. However, they quickly determined that the remains were not human. Instead, the foot was part of an anatomically correct silicone doll.
"What was actually recovered was a lifelike silicone item used for self-gratification. It was the size of a small child, weighed approximately 50 pounds, and was anatomically correct. The foot we were able to observe protruding through the bag was extremely detailed all the way down to the french manicure," Tunkhannock Township Police Chief Ed Morristell said.
After determining that the foot did not belong to a human child, Peters said that he went to speak with the family who made the discovery.
"After the scene was cleared, I visited the child and the child's parents. While this young person is aware that what the child saw was not real remains, and though this young person is bright and resilient and fortunate to have two nurturing parents, the trauma of that sight may impact this child for years to come," Peters said.
Officials have not determined who dumped the doll in the stream or why they did it. It is unclear if the person responsible for dumping the doll could face charges.