Police believe the door of the tumble dryer slammed shut, trapping the four-year-old inside An inquest has opened into the death of a four-year-old Derbyshire boy who was found dead in a tumble dryer.
Sonny Gibson's body was found after he went missing while playing with his family at home in Ashbourne on 26 July 2010.
The boy is believed to have climbed into the tumble dryer during a game of hide-and-seek at his home.
The inquest into the toddler's death is expected to last for one day at Derby Coroner's Court.
The inquest heard that Anne Gibson had been absent from home for 18 hours, leaving Sonny in the care of teenage family members.
She had initially lied to police, saying she had just left the house to buy cigarettes, to protect the teenagers, the inquest heard.
She called the police after returning home and finding no trace of her son.
He was found about 50 minutes later by his mother and a police officer.
Anne Gibson described her son at the inquest as: "A proper little boy, mischievous, fearless and liked to hide."
He had been caught trying to climb into the tumble dryer on a previous occasion and knew how to operate it, she added.
A police investigation concluded the most likely scenario was that Sonny had kicked the door which sprung back and slammed shut, activating the dryer which had minutes left on its timer.
A pathologist told the inquest Sonny had died from a combination of head injuries, burns and inhaling hot air.
There was no evidence the little boy had been forced to get into the dryer.
The inquest continues.
This article is from the BBC News website. � British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/uk-england-derbyshire-13048280
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