Death of girl, 3, found in washing machine in Paris sparks probe by French police

French police are investigating the death of a three-year-old girl found inside a washing machine at her family’s apartment in Paris.

The child was discovered at her home in the north-east area of the French capital on Thursday night, said the Paris prosecutor’s office.

The daily Le Parisien newspaper reported that she was found alive inside the washing machine by her father and another family member before tragically dying in emergency care an hour later, but the prosecutor did not confirm this report.

A probe into the cause of the girl’s death was launched on Friday, and is being led by a special unit for the protection of minors.