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Three siblings who were clearing the home of their dead mother made a gruesome discovery - the mummified remains of a brother they never knew existed.

The adult brother and two sisters found the remains while emptying the Northallerton home of their mother Carol Thompson on February 3 this year.

A small box was discovered in a cupboard under the stairs, but once opened they found envelopes and a small mummified body wrapped in clothing.

After the discovery, the siblings took the box to the nearest police station where investigations were carried out.

An inquest held at Solberge Hall, in Northallerton, on Wednesday, heard that the body was a child of Carol Thompson and her ex-husband Melvin - the sibling’s parents.

The baby appeared to be full-term, the inquest heard.

Detective Sergeant Matthew Wilkinson, of North Yorkshire Police, was tasked with heading the investigation into the macabre find which assistant coroner John Broadbridge called the “most distressing case” he has dealt with in 25 years.

Giving evidence at the hearing, Det Sgt Wilkinson said that family members, including Melvin Thompson were spoken to during an “extensive investigation” but no one had any idea about another child or a pregnancy.

“We discovered within the 18in box what appeared to be human, mummified infant remains wrapped in clothing”, he said.

Speaking of the family, he added: “No one had any knowledge of a brother or the existence of another child to either parent.”

'Couldn't account for pregnancy'

Despite exhaustive inquiries, no light could be shed on how the remains came to be at the address on Dexta Way or the circumstances surrounding his death.

A post mortem and DNA testing was subsequently carried out which showed the baby belonged to Carol and Melvin Thompson, with testing on the clothing he was wrapped in being dated from the late 1950s to early 1960s.

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Letters within the box where the remains were found were dated from August 1968.

Melvin Thompson was interviewed at length and he “couldn’t account for a pregnancy” and had “no knowledge” of the box and had never seen it.

'Most distressing case I have come across'

Asst Coroner John Broadbridge said that examinations could not determine if the baby died before or after birth due to the mummification process, but that no injuries were found on the bones.

A report from a forensic scientist said: “Evidence shows it is a billion times more likely that the remains were of a child of Carole and Melvin than another unknown male.“

"In my opinion the results provide strong evidence of this.”

The inquest heard that Carol married Melvin in 1968 and they lived at various addresses in Northallerton.

Divorce proceedings between the two began in 1996 and she moved to Dexta Way in 2004 before she died in January this year.

All three of Carol’s children were born after 1968 and none had any knowledge of another sibling.

Giving an open conclusion, Mr Broadbridge said it was not possible to determine how the baby died or when he died.

He said: “In my 25 years of working as a coroner, this is the most distressing case I have come across.“

"The little boy, we do not know, despite everyone’s efforts.

“It is tragic, utterly tragic and it is dreadfully sad your mother had to carry out a secret like that.”