Boy, 4, found dead in tumble dryer

A four-year-old English boy was found dead in a tumble dryer today.

The child was reported missing from the garden of his home on Northcliffe Road, Ashbourne, Derbyshire, shortly after 10.30am.

A police helicopter was scrambled before the boy was found dead just under an hour later by his “distraught” mother and a police officer.

Detectives would not say whether the dryer was switched on when the boy was found.

The boy was dead at the scene.

A spokeswoman for Derbyshire Constabulary said no one has been arrested.

The spokeswoman said: “It’s normal procedure to search the house to make sure whoever is missing isn’t found there.

“They were searching outside with the force helicopter and they also searched inside the house and that’s where they found him.

“He was found by his mother, who had a police officer with her at the time. She’s distraught, as can be expected, and is receiving medical attention.”