The doll – which would have cost thousands of pounds – was discovered on a quiet beach in northern New Zealand by dog-walker Alice Cowdrey, RNZ News reports.

Convinced it was a dead body and there could be “a murderer on the loose”, she called police, who were also initially concerned that it was real.

“When it was on its back, it had everything… it was very realistic… but obviously you could tell it was a sex doll,” Cowdrey said.

It’s not clear how the expensive doll ended up on the beach, and police have said they have more “urgent incidents” to attend to.

Cowdrey suggested: “It’s quite a major investment for somebody. It could have been stolen, somebody’s not just going to chuck it on the beach and leave it there.”