A UTTOXETER father in is mourning following the tragic death of his toddler son who was found in a tumble dryer.
Four-year-old Sonny Gibson was found dead by his mother and a police officer at their home in Northcliffe Road, Ashbourne, on Monday morning after a police search of the area.
The boy’s parents are Stewart Gibson from Uttoxeter and his estranged partner Anne Gibson, 41, a former Thomas Alleyne’s High School pupil.
He was found following a search of the town which was launched after Sonny was reported missing by his mother at 10.35am.
However, an hour later the search was called off when his body was found in the family home by his distraught mother.
A post-mortem examination was due to be carried out around the time the Advertiser went to press to determine the cause of the boy’s death and police have not revealed how he came to be in the tumble dryer.
Sonny’s mother half-brothers and half-sister Sarah- Louise, 20, Nathan, 19, Martin, 18, and Luke, 16 were being looked after by police at an unspecified location.
Police said the family was being supported by specially-trained officers at the scene.
His sister, Sarah has revealed how the horrendous morning unfolded.
She said: “I was in the house at the time. As far as I am aware my mum thought he was in the garden playing as he usually did.
“She rang me and Nathan saying he was missing, so we went looking and mum stopped at home. We rang the police and they started searching for him. Then I found out my mum had found him.
“When I got there my mum was in the back garden and there were police all over the house. It’s just a blur after that.” Miss Shepherd does not know how her younger brother died but she said he often hid and then ‘laughed at us’.
She said: “Sonny hid everywhere he could he was just a loveable boy who was constantly on the go.” Sonny’s mum is too distraught to talk since his death and has received medical treatment.
Miss Shepherd said: “She’s not speaking, she’s not drinking, she’s not eating, she said she wants to go with him.” His brother Nathan, who described him as a ‘cheeky and mischievous little boy’, also said he had often found him asleep and hiding in the tumble dryer.
After the horrific discovery, more than half of Northcliffe Road was cordoned off by police while forensic officers examined the scene.
During the search for the missing boy, Derbyshire Police had a helicopter circling Ashbourne with a loudspeaker message describing Sonny and what he was wearing.
Officers asked residents and business owners to help the search on the streets.
Detective Inspector Gary Cathcart said: “This is a tragic incident and our enquiry will continue into the circumstances surrounding the boy’s death."
