A ‘body’ found in a suitcase was actually a sex doll. How did NSW police get it so wrong?

The best practice for investigating potential bodies inside things like wheelie bins and suitcases is not to open it, but to X-ray it, an expert says. Photograph: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

Revelations that a “body” found inside a suitcase was actually a sex doll may have been embarrassing for police, but experts say officers followed the correct procedure.

New South Wales police on Sunday were called to Oallen, a rural locality near Goulburn, after two members of the public found a suitcase containing what they believed to be human remains dumped on the side of the road.