Police investigate report of doll found decapitated at Ohio home flying Palestinian flag

Police in northwestern Ohio are investigating a report of a decapitated doll that was left at a home flying a Palestinian flag this week.

The baby doll, which appeared to be covered in fake blood and was set on spikes, was found in the yard Monday at a home in Toledo, according to a police report and photo provided to USA TODAY. The doll was placed next to a tree where the flag hung.

The incident is being investigated as menacing and criminal trespassing and it is unknown whether it was a hate crime because "the intent of the suspect remains unknown," Sylvania Township Police Deputy Chief Jim Rettig told USA TODAY by email. There were no suspects as of Wednesday.

According to the police report, an officer viewed a neighbor's security camera footage that showed "a male in dark clothing" approaching the tree and placing an object on the ground at about 10:25 a.m. Monday. Because of the distance of the camera, neighbors weren't able to identify the person.

CAIR says incident an example of rising bias incidents

The Council on American-Islamic Relations chapter in Cleveland is calling on police to consider bringing a hate crime charge against the suspect.

"We should all feel safe in our neighborhoods and be able to display our heritage without fear of hate-filled retaliation from our neighbors," Faten Odeh, CAIR-Ohio, Cleveland Interim Executive Director said in a statement.

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Odeh told USA TODAY that the family, who is Palestinian, also found their Palestinian flag taken down Tuesday evening. The mother of the family said she didn't allow her kids to see the doll because she thought it would traumatize them, Odeh said. The mother said the family had lived there for many years and never had a problem with their neighbors, according to Odeh.

The national organization has documented an uptick in reports of anti-Muslim or anti-Arab bias from Oct. 7 to Nov. 4. In that time, CAIR said it received a total of 1,283 requests for help and reports of bias, a 216% increase from the previous year.

Incidents appearing to target Jewish and Muslim people surged in the United States since the start of the Israel-Hamas war just over a month ago, officials have said, putting authorities on alert and communities in fear.

Rettig said there hasn't been an increase in reported incidents in Sylvania Township, however.