diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwworld/worldimp.cpp b/apps/openmw/mwworld/worldimp.cpp
index 4fe4503dd5..555df2bbf1 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/mwworld/worldimp.cpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwworld/worldimp.cpp
@@ -680,7 +680,7 @@ namespace MWWorld
         {
             // TODO: caching still doesn't work efficiently here (only works for the one CellStore that the reference is
             // in)
-            Ptr ptr = mWorldModel.getPtr(name, *cellstore, false);
+            Ptr ptr = mWorldModel.getPtr(name, *cellstore);
 
             if (!ptr.isEmpty())
                 return ptr;
diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwworld/worldmodel.cpp b/apps/openmw/mwworld/worldmodel.cpp
index 84e4e493f4..4157c42b15 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/mwworld/worldmodel.cpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwworld/worldmodel.cpp
@@ -294,7 +294,7 @@ MWWorld::CellStore* MWWorld::WorldModel::getCellByPosition(
         return getInterior(cellNameInSameWorldSpace);
 }
 
-MWWorld::Ptr MWWorld::WorldModel::getPtr(const ESM::RefId& name, CellStore& cell, bool searchInContainers)
+MWWorld::Ptr MWWorld::WorldModel::getPtr(const ESM::RefId& name, CellStore& cell)
 {
     if (cell.getState() == CellStore::State_Unloaded)
         cell.preload();
@@ -314,9 +314,6 @@ MWWorld::Ptr MWWorld::WorldModel::getPtr(const ESM::RefId& name, CellStore& cell
     if (!ptr.isEmpty() && MWWorld::CellStore::isAccessible(ptr.getRefData(), ptr.getCellRef()))
         return ptr;
 
-    if (searchInContainers)
-        return cell.searchInContainer(name);
-
     return Ptr();
 }
 
diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwworld/worldmodel.hpp b/apps/openmw/mwworld/worldmodel.hpp
index 7e740dfe3f..52f426f854 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/mwworld/worldmodel.hpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwworld/worldmodel.hpp
@@ -86,11 +86,7 @@ namespace MWWorld
 
         Ptr getPtr(const ESM::RefNum& refNum) const;
 
-        Ptr getPtr(const ESM::RefId& name, CellStore& cellStore, bool searchInContainers = false);
-        ///< \param searchInContainers Only affect loaded cells.
-        /// @note name must be lower case
-
-        /// @note name must be lower case
+        Ptr getPtr(const ESM::RefId& name, CellStore& cellStore);
         Ptr getPtr(const ESM::RefId& name);
 
         template <typename Fn>