Aunt suffocated four-month-old nephew in a plastic bag then hid his body in a washing machine after family dispute in China

CHINA: ·  The boy was reported missing in Shanghai on Sunday morning

·  But his mother found his body after opening the washing machine last night

·  Police posted online that the baby's aunt has admitted killing the boy
A Chinese woman is alleged to have suffocated her four-month-old nephew in a plastic bag and hid his body in a washing machine following a family dispute.

The body of the baby boy, who had been missing since Sunday, was found by his mother when she opened the washing machine at her home on the outskirts of Shanghai yesterday evening.

Police posted on Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter, late last night that the boy's aunt, who was named only by her surname Lei, had admitted killing the boy.

It gave no more information but said that investigations were ongoing.

The boy's family sells food on a market stall in the capital city and the ground floor of their home doubles as a restaurant according to reports.

Police searched the nearby area and trawled surveillance footage for clues to his whereabouts to no avail.

A local shopkeeper told Shanghai Daily: 'I saw him once in my store when his mother brought him over to buy some toys.

'He was very cute and sweet.

'We were all worried about him when he went missing, the news of his death is very sad.'

Daily Mail