Police searching for Heather Wardle and her severely disabled son confirmed today that they have found the mother’s body in undergrowth near the family home in Redditch.

Detectives said they remained extremely worried about the safety of James Hughes, 22, who is thought to have gone missing with his mother on Friday evening. James has the mental age of an 18-month-old child and uses a wheelchair. “James has not been found and in light of the discovery of what we believe to be his mother’s body, we are very concerned for his wellbeing,” said Superintendent Jane Horwood of West Mercia Police.

James is described as white, 5ft 4in tall, thin, with short mousy hair and looking younger than his age. Officers continued searching Arrow Valley Country Park overnight.

Ms Wardle, 39, and James were reported missing on Saturday. The mother was last seen on Friday evening when she said she was walking to a friend’s house close to her own home in Worcestershire.

Local teenagers discovered her body in woodland in the Church Hill area of Redditch, less than half a mile from the family’s terraced house in Loxley Close.

Superintendent Horwood said police had recovered the body by around 6pm last night. She said the death was being treated as “unexplained” and a post-mortem examination was being carried out this afternoon.

“Heather was James’s main carer and her family say she was a fantastic mother,” said Ms Horwood. “However looking after someone round the clock inevitably takes it toll and we can only imagine what tremendous strain Heather was under.”

James, whose 22nd birthday was on Sunday, suffers from epilepsy and cannot care for himself. He is able to walk short distances but uses a wheelchair because he often stumbles.

Police said that Paul Hughes, James’s natural father, is “very concerned”, describing him as a “caring and passionate father”.

Brian Kirby, Ms Wardle’s partner, and her three other sons were said to be devastated. Ms Horwood said that officers were now looking to piece together the family’s life over the last few months.

Linda Parkes, one of the family’s neighbours and a hospital worker, said she had seen Heather around 10 days ago and had noticed that she did not appear to be her normal self.

“She had such a lot on her plate and it’s such a shame,” Mrs Parkes said.

Another neighbour, who asked not to be named, added: “It’s very shocking. I don’t know what will happen to James - he can’t do a lot for himself.”

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