Hunt for mother whose son of two was found walking alone

A search was under way today for a missing mother whose toddler son was seen wandering the streets on his own.

Natasha Adekusibe, 22, has not been seen since leaving her home in Charlton on Thursday.

The alarm was raised after neighbours saw her two-year-old son wandering around wearing only a nappy and shoes more than 34 hours later.

Police believe he was left in the house but managed to open the front door and crawl underneath a metal security grille.

Chief Inspector Brian Cherek, of Greenwich police, said: "Natasha has not gone missing before and is described as a loving mother so this is very out of character.î

Ms Adekusibe was filmed on CCTV at Charlton station on Thursday morning and was last seen arriving in Greenwich at 5.40am. The previous evening she went to a Costcutters store in Charlton where she said she was being followed.

She was seen walking towards her home with a black man dressed in dark clothing but CCTV images showed she returned alone at 10.50pm and left at 5.15am the next day.

Mr Cherek said: "We are concerned for her welfare. We know Natasha has been under a lot of pressure recently, and if she has gone away to seek some time alone, I would urge her to make contact." Anyone who has seen her can ring police on 020 8284 9449.