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| Mother had 'ligature' round neck | |
| (about 6 hours later) | |
| A mother who went missing along with her disabled son was found in woodland with a ligature round her neck, police said. | |
| Heather Wardle, 39, of Redditch, Worcestershire went missing with her son, James Hughes, on Friday evening. | |
| Mr Hughes, who is 22 but has the mental age of an 18-month-old, is "extremely vulnerable", said a police spokeswoman. | Mr Hughes, who is 22 but has the mental age of an 18-month-old, is "extremely vulnerable", said a police spokeswoman. |
| The body of mother-of-four Mrs Wardle was found in undergrowth in the Church Hill area of the town on Monday. | The body of mother-of-four Mrs Wardle was found in undergrowth in the Church Hill area of the town on Monday. |
| It is believed her body was found less than a mile from where she lived with her son. | |
| Police said the death was being treated as unexplained. They are awaiting the results of a post-mortem examination to determine the cause of her death. | |
| 'Tends to stumble' | 'Tends to stumble' |
| Mrs Wardle left home on Friday, saying she was walking to a friend's house nearby. Police say it is not clear when Mr Hughes was last seen. | |
| The focus of the inquiry is finding Mr Hughes, who is unable to fend for himself, police said. | |
| Mr Hughes needs constant care, police officers have said | Mr Hughes needs constant care, police officers have said |
| Supt Jane Horwood, of West Mercia Police, said Mr Hughes had epilepsy and other health needs. | Supt Jane Horwood, of West Mercia Police, said Mr Hughes had epilepsy and other health needs. |
| She said there were currently 40 to 50 officers working on the investigation, and the searches for Mr Hughes were being confined to the Redditch area. | She said there were currently 40 to 50 officers working on the investigation, and the searches for Mr Hughes were being confined to the Redditch area. |
| Supt Horwood said: "James has not been found and, obviously, in the light of the discovery of what we believe to be his mother's body, we are very concerned for his well-being." | Supt Horwood said: "James has not been found and, obviously, in the light of the discovery of what we believe to be his mother's body, we are very concerned for his well-being." |
| She added that Mr Hughes "needed his most basic needs met and cannot fend for himself". | She added that Mr Hughes "needed his most basic needs met and cannot fend for himself". |
| "At the moment we have no idea where he is and, while we are keeping an open mind, obviously we are very concerned." | "At the moment we have no idea where he is and, while we are keeping an open mind, obviously we are very concerned." |
| Mr Hughes needs regular medication and "round-the-clock" care, police said. | Mr Hughes needs regular medication and "round-the-clock" care, police said. |
| He is capable of walking short distances but "tends to stumble" so uses a wheelchair. | He is capable of walking short distances but "tends to stumble" so uses a wheelchair. |
| Mr Hughes is described as white, 5ft 4in tall, thin, with short mousy hair and looks younger than his age. | Mr Hughes is described as white, 5ft 4in tall, thin, with short mousy hair and looks younger than his age. |