Woman unwittingly creeps out community by leaving lookalike dolls at certain houses

A California community spent the past few days theorizing about the potential creep leaving porcelain dolls on the doorsteps of families with young girls who look like the dolls. Now the concerned citizens can sleep soundly knowing the “culprit” was a well-intentioned woman.

According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, 11 families in San Clemente were alarmed when porcelain dolls were mysteriously left on their doorsteps. The dolls all matched some of the physical characteristic of the young girls in the homes, causing the cautious parents to think someone was obsessively watching their daughters.

“It’s peculiar, strange and weird and all that stuff,” Lt. Jeff Hallock told KTLA on Thursday. “People are saying the dolls slightly resemble their daughters, which is creepy.”

Initially, investigators were stumped as to how the families were connected. After realizing they attend the same large church, authorities quickly learned the person behind it all was an older woman who intended it as a “kind gesture.”

“Because her intentions were good, she felt embarrassed at the fear she instilled in the community,” Lt. Hallock told The L.A. Times. “She just thought she was being nice.”

He declined to reveal her identity, but said her children were all grown and she thought it would be nice to give the dolls away.

“When she was deciding which dolls to give to which girls, she did make a conscious decision that she thought certain dolls resembled certain girls,” he explained today after talking with the woman. “I think everyone was so worked up and concerned that when they found out it was her being kind, most people just breathed a sigh of relief.”