Woman leaves lookalike dolls on neighbours' doorsteps but insists she didn't mean to be creepy

Residents in San Clemente, California, have been on edge after families discovered "creepy" dolls appearing on their doorsteps.

At least eight households have found porcelain dolls outside their homes since the deliveries began on July 16th.

The mysterious gifts left recipients feeling "creeped out" and "disturbed" by the resemblance to young girls who lived in the area - all of whom were around 10 years old.

But residents were relieved when police said the culprit was a lady from a local church who had "pure intentions" of clearing out her doll collection.

Orange County policeman Jeff Hallock said: "The woman said she was clearing out an old doll collection and thought of some young girls in the neighborhood who might enjoy them".

The OCRegister news website said the woman had admitted trying to match the dolls to the children but had not meant to scare anyone.

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