AN artist from Ohio, the U.S., who creates and sells life-like dolls of newborn babies has been mistakenly reported to the police for trafficking children.

    Kathy Cadle, of Sheffield Lake, spends countless hours working up the incredibly realistic-looking dolls for the online business she runs with her sister, Bunny Bundles Reborns.

    Cadle posted a photo to eBay advertising her latest model “Ethan” as brand-new and ready for sale.

    However, she was not expecting what was to follow — a knock at the door from the cops, accusing her of selling young children online.

    Cadle explained to Fox 8 News, “He goes, ‘I got a report that you were selling a baby,’’ and I was like, ‘are you kidding me?’’’

    Still in shock, Cadle went around the corner and grabbed one of her dolls. She then explained to the officer that whoever reported her must been confused at what she was really selling, and the cop began to laugh at the mistake.

    “And he let me take his picture because I said, ‘nobody’s going to believe this,’” said Cadle.

    The dolls cost US$200 to US$500 or more, depending on the detail, and one was recently purchased by a film company to stand in as a child in an upcoming movie.

    The dolls are known as “reborns” and are part of a growing trend in premiere doll-making. They come in a kit made from a mold, and can take days, weeks or longer to paint and piece together.

    Cadle and her sister, Rachel Smith, inherited a love of baby dolls from their mother.

    Cadle is proud of the fact the dolls are also being used in nursing homes, helping patients with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.

    “They talk to them and it kind of brings them back to when they had children,” said Cadle.

    “It’s nice to see how they react.”

    Cadle said she has run into issues with the dolls before, with people believing the babies to be real, but she has not had to answer to the cops until now.

    (SD-Agencies)