By Dan Sales and Rachael Bunyan For Mailonline
12:36 01 Feb 2022, updated 02:41 02 Feb 2022
- The toddler was reported missing from their home in Dagenham at 4pm on Saturday
- She was found dead in the garden when police searched the area for the girl
- It is said to have been found in a bucket behind a house
A two-year-old girl who was reported missing in east London was found dead in a garden in a “construction bucket”, neighbors have claimed.
The toddler, whose name was not given, was reported missing from a home in Dagenham at 4pm on Saturday.
Police quickly went to the scene and blocked roads while they searched for her.
Around 30 officers searched the streets and houses frantically before making the shocking discovery.
She is said to have been found by a police dog in a black construction bucket behind a house.
Police and rescue workers tried to save the child, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Her death is being treated as unexplained, but a neighbor said officers told her the child had drowned.
A two-year-old girl who was reported missing in east London was found dead in a garden in a “construction bucket”, neighbors have claimed. Pictured: The scene At the back of a house, she is said to have been found by a police dog in a black construction bucket
Her devastated family cried today as she said “now is not the time” to speak about her life or what happened.
Neighbor Shorifa Begum, 44, who lives next door to the property, said: “On Sunday I went to the house and asked, ‘What happened, did you find her?’
‘You said she died. They told me to come and see it.
“They took me to their garden and said it was in a black bucket. They found her in a big black bucket and said she was dead.
“The bucket was next to a wall in the garden. A police dog found it.
“There was a little water in the bucket. How and why she died is still unclear to this day.
“The family said they had no clear information as to why she died.”
She added: “I used to see the mother taking the girl to school in the morning and the mother carrying the girl on her back.
“We said hello to each other and they were friendly, but we didn’t know each other.
“I think she lived with both of her parents and I think they were a couple.
‘The dog found her when the family was out. I don’t know why they were out – maybe they were told or were looking for her.”
Another neighbor, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “All I know is that the police told me that the girl drowned.
“They asked me for details and told me she had drowned. That is everything I know.’
Ms Begum previously said she saw two police cars and emergency vehicles outside the property at 4pm on Saturday.
She said: “I looked outside. I saw the baby’s mother and about seven or eight other people. I asked her what happened and she said her two year old girl was missing.
‘I asked ‘Have you looked everywhere?’ And she said that she did and that her family and cousins looked everywhere.
“She said they looked everywhere, even in her garden, and asked the neighbors what happened.
“Then I saw a helicopter and an ambulance and police cars. The street was closed.
“Later, an ambulance came and pressed on the girl’s chest to revive her.
“There were so many doctors and police officers that I couldn’t really see what condition she was in.”
The backyard of the property where the toddler was found dead in a black bucket
A store worker told Der Spiegel police asked her if she had seen the missing girl on Saturday.
They said: “The police officer said she was wearing pink and they were looking for her.
“Yesterday we heard that she died from a customer. Everyone is sad.”
A shopkeeper told the Evening Standard: “Police came in and asked if we had seen a two-year-old girl. Then left. We found out later that she was found dead, it’s so horrible. I can not believe it.
“The house is only 200 meters away from us, but we haven’t heard anything.”
The garden where the toddler was found was under construction, with a shed under construction, MyLondon reported.
A Met Police spokesman said: “The girl was found unresponsive in the garden.
“Despite the best efforts of paramedics, she was pronounced dead at the scene.
“The death is treated as unexplained.”
Police say her next of kin are aware and an autopsy will take place this week.
The Met’s East Area commando unit is conducting an investigation. There were no arrests.
