Paulette's disappearance sparked a huge publicity campaign

A four-year-old girl whose disappearance last month generated much publicity in Mexico City has been found dead in her own bedroom.

Prosecutors say the girl, Paulette Gebara Farah, died from suffocation.

They say the investigation is continuing but her mother is being treated as a suspect in the case.

Since Paulette was reported missing on 22 March, posters and flyers of her had appeared across the capital, while news of the case spread over the internet.

Paulette, who had difficulty in walking and talking, was reported missing from her family's flat in Huixquilucan, an upmarket suburb of Mexico City, on 22 March.

Her family and their friends launched an appeal for help in finding her. Posters appeared in the capital of the blonde, blue-eyed girl.

The story appeared in the Mexican media and news of her disappearance also spread over social networking sites and message boards.

On Wednesday, as police attempted to recreate events on the night she disappeared, Paulette's body was found.

Her body had been stuffed inside a black plastic bag and wedged between the mattress and the bed frame.

Prosecutor Alberto Babaz said that Paulette's mother, Lisette Farah, was being regarded as a suspect.

When asked why police had not found Paulette's body sooner, Mr Babaz said that they had been concentrating search efforts outside the home.