A two-year-old girl was found dead in a black builder’s bucket less than an hour after she was reported missing, according to neighbours.
The toddler was reported missing in Dagenham, London, on January 29.
Her body was found in a garden within an hour after her disappearance was reported.
Around “20 to 30 people” were looking for the girl, along with police, but she wasn’t found until police dogs arrived, The Mirror reports.
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Three neighbours confirmed that the toddler was found in a “bucket” in the garden of a Dagenham home, with one local saying police told them the child had drowned.
MyLondon reports that the garden she was found in was not her family’s home.
Her devastated family wept as they said ‘now is not the time’ to talk about her life or what happened.
But neighbour Shorifa Begum, 44, who lives immediately next door, said: ‘’On Sunday I went to the house and I asked ‘what happened did you find her?’
‘’They said she had died. They told me to come and see.
‘’They took me to their garden and said she was in a black bucket. They found her in a large black bucket and said she was dead.
‘’The bucket was next to a wall in the garden. A police dog had found it.
‘’There was a little bit of water in the bucket. It is still not clear how or why she died.
‘’The family said they did not have clear information about why she died."
Another neighbour, who did not want to be named, said: ‘’I don’t know anything other than that the police told me the girl had drowned.
‘’They were asking me for details and told me she had drowned. That is all I know.
’’Police have confirmed that no arrests have been made, and a post-mortem is due to take place later this week."
A local shop employee told The Mirror that police asked them if they had seen the missing girl on Saturday.
The worker added: "The police officer said she was wearing pink and that they were searching for her.
"Yesterday we heard she had died from a customer. Everyone is sad."
No arrests have been made and a post-mortem will take place later this week.
A Met Police spokesperson said: “The girl was found unresponsive in the garden.
"Despite the efforts of paramedics, she was pronounced dead at the scene. The death is being treated as unexplained.”
Police say her next of kin are aware.
The Met’s East Area command unit are leading an investigation.
Local parents had expressed concern on social media over the weekend as police guarded the house where the girl was found.
A shop owner told the Evening Standard: "Police came in asking if we had seen a two-year-old girl. Then left.
"We found out later she was found dead, it's so horrific. I can't believe it.
"The house is only 200 metres away from us but we didn't hear anything."
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