TODDLER Liam Evans, missing for three days, was found alive yesterday near the body of his devoted grandfather, whose car had plunged 150 yards down a mountainside slope.

The 13-month-old boy and Mr Gwilym Evans, 61, disappeared from their home town of Colwyn Bay, North Wales, on Thursday afternoon. A massive nationwide hunt was launched.

Liam was discovered sitting crying in thick ferns near the wrecked car of his grandfather, whose body was also found outside the vehicle. The discovery was made by a passing teenager from Merseyside.

It was not known last night when the crash happened.

The child had escaped from the accident at the Horseshoe Pass beauty spot near Llangollen with only cuts and scratches, and was immediately flown to hospital by police helicopter. His condition was described as ''satisfactory''.

The crash site, about 250 yards from the summit of a pass, is at a viewpoint that attracts hundreds of visitors a day during the summer.

The spot where the car landed was hidden from the road, although police said the point where it left the carriageway could be seen. There were signs that the P-registered car had rolled over.

Police do not know when the accident happened, but Detective Superintendent Eric Jones said it was ''possible'' the Vauxhall Vectra could have been hidden on the mountainside for two to three days.

The body of Mr Evans, a retired detective inspector, was found more than 20 yards up the slope from Liam.

As forensic scientists began to try to piece together a picture of what might have happened, Mr Jones, who worked with Mr Evans before he retired in 1986, said it was possible the 61-year-old had got Liam out of the car before losing consciousness.

''It would appear at this early stage of the investigation that it is nothing more than a tragic accident,'' he said.

The policeman added: ''Liam has nothing more than a few scratches. It is remarkable how he survived.

''Inquiries by the accident investigators and a pathologist will hopefully give us a better picture of what has gone on.

''By then we will be able to put

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together a theory of what has happened. But at the end of the day it will probably always be a theory.''

The straps on the car's child seat and the driver's seat belt were found open. The driver's air bag had inflated.

Liam's parents Gary, 30, and Ruth, 28, were at their son's hospital bedside last night.

The discovery had been one of both happiness and sadness, said Mr Jones. ''When I broke the news to both parents I think they were torn between elation and sadness,'' he said.

''You can imagine the pressure the family have been under during the last four days.''

Mr Evans disappeared from home on Thursday after telling his wife he would take Liam off her hands for a short while.

The couple were looking after the little boy while his parents took his three-year-old sister, Sophia, to Liverpool's Alder Hey Hospital, where she is being treated for a hereditary eating disorder.

The spot where the car left the road was nearly 40 miles from Liam's parents' and grandparents' homes in Colwyn Bay.

Speculation had intensified over the three days since the pair disappeared that Mr Evans may have had a mental breakdown or a heart attack.

Family and friends had been unable to come up with any reason why the well respected, quiet and friendly man should have driven off and failed to return home.

Police, too, had been baffled by the disappearance of an officer who, colleagues said, had always reacted well under pressure.

The discovery of Mr Evans's car and body came only hours after his son and daughter-in-law made an emotional appeal for him to come home.

They had also released a family video of Liam's first birthday in a bid to jog the public's memory. It showed the little boy with his clearly devoted grandfather and family.

Over the three days, police had received more than 100 calls of possible sightings of the pair, many of which would now seem to have been mistaken in light of yesterday's discovery on the mountainside.