A grotesque crime has shocked Australia. The body of a child was stuffed in a suitcase and then thrown into a lake in a Sydney park. The suitcase with the corpse was floating in the lake, when children playing in the park on Wednesday evening found it.

The young boys fished the suitcase out of the water with sticks, and to their astonishment found what was containing. The dead body was wrapped in plastic.

On Thursday, the Sidney police released the shocking photographs of the suitcase to the public in a plea for information on the horrific murder, labeled as "monstrous" by the New South Wales state premier Morris Iemma.

"I think everyone on hearing about it, on getting up this morning, we all felt sicker as a result...," the state premier told Reuters on Thursday.

"The horrific discovery by a group of small children has understandably sent shockwaves through the local community."

Police investigators said they believe that the boy was between four and eight years of age, but they are still awaiting the results of the autopsy for an eventual confirmation. They said the suitcase containing the corpse may have been in the lake for several days.

"Put simply, it's one of the most monstrous acts imaginable," Iemma told the state legislature.

The current investigation regarding the boy’s identity is focusing mainly on the local schools, but the police said it was possible he might have come from anywhere in the country.

"It's a particularly horrible case; any case that involves a child is particularly tragic. Obviously I would certainly be wary if I was a parent." Detective Superintendent Geoff Beresford said.

There were found several clothes and a knife on the bottom of the lake by the police divers, but the investigators haven’t yet linked the items to the death.