'Dead Baby' Found In Queens That Launched Active Crime Scene Actually A Realistic Doll

The “lifelike prop” reportedly fooled both police and paramedics, who enacted a crime-scene investigation and declared the “three-month-old child” to be dead.

June 20, 2019
Realistic baby doll [NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Public Information]

Photo by: Realistic baby doll [NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Public Information]

Realistic baby doll [NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Public Information]

By: Mike McPadden

BAYSIDE, NY — Authorities say a “dead baby” discovered near a Queens park turned out to just be an extremely realistic-looking doll.

Authorities said that a runner called 911 at 8:15 A.M. on Tuesday to report what looked to be a dead baby clad in a diaper and a T-shirt, lying facedown in a grassy area just outside Crocheron Park in Queens.

An Emergency Medical Service team immediately responded and reportedly pronounced the “three-month-old child” to be dead — without performing a medical exam.

Reports state that the NYPD enacted an “active crime-scene” investigation. Local residents told WNBC that police set up a tent and lined the area with caution tape, and that “at least 100 cops” showed up to the scene.

Eventually, it’s reported, an official Medical Examiner arrived, picked up the “baby,” and determined straightaway that it was actually just a doll.

The doll’s shirt also reportedly turned out to be emblazoned with the words, “The Crawling Dead.”

Later, an FDNY spokesman said, “It appeared to be a baby with discoloration consistent with signs of prolonged death. But, thankfully, it was actually a lifelike prop.”

Police say they are investigating the incident, including trying to determine if the 911 caller may have placed the doll in the grass. Should that be the case, the caller could reportedly be charged with filing a false police report.

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