Child, who had been reported missing from his home in Derbyshire, was found dead at the scene

This article is more than 10 years old

This article is more than 10 years old

A four-year-old boy has been found dead in a tumble dryer at his home in Derbyshire, police said.

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

A police helicopter was scrambled before the boy was found 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 police said no one had been arrested.

She 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."