Heather Wardle, 39, a mother of four who went missing on Friday night, was found dead “with a ligature around her neck at the base of a tree”, police said today.

Fears are growing for the safety of Ms Wardle's "extremely vulnerable" disabled son James Hughes, 22, who has also been reported missing.

Her body was discovered by teenagers in woodlands five minutes’ walk from her home in Redditch, Worcestershire.

She had been missing since Friday when she failed to arrive after saying she planned to walk round to a friend's house nearby.

Police are waiting for the results of a post-mortem examination which was carried out yesterday.

Ms Wardle and Mr Hughes were both reported missing on Saturday evening by her partner. It is not clear when Mr Hughes was last seen.

Police said today they were “extremely concerned” for the wellbeing of the 22-year-old, who has the mental age of a toddler and needs round-the-clock care for a number of other health problems, including epilepsy.

Superintendent Jane Horwood said: “James has not been found and, obviously, in the light of what we believe to be his mother’s body, we are very concerned for his well-being.

“He needs his most basic needs met and cannot fend for himself.”

Ms Wardle leaves four children by three fathers.

Her son, who looks much younger than his age, is capable of walking short distances but “tends to stumble” so uses a wheelchair. He cannot speak.

There are between 40 and 50 officers working on the case, around 30 of whom are actively searching the Church Hill area of Redditch, police said.

Police dogs and a helicopter have also been deployed in the search for James. He is described as white, about 5ft 4in, thin and with short hair.

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