Celeb stylist’s son, 3, found dead in burnt-out car near dad’s body in suspected murder-suicide in Portugal

A celebrity stylist’s three-year-old son has been found dead in a burnt-out car after her husband, a well-known designer, failed to return him home.

Three-year-old Tasso was found dead in a burnt-out car in Portugal

The missing toddler son of a British celebrity stylist has been found dead in a burnt-out car in Portugal near his dad’s body in a suspected murder-suicide.

Hunters discovered the body of three-year-old Tasso in a torched vehicle in mountains near the village of Santa Margarida da Serra early on Sunday morning, The Sunreports.

The body of his dad, named locally as German designer Clemens Weisshaar, was found nearby with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, police say.

Last week, Tasso’s mum – well-known stylist Phoebe Arnold – reported her son missing after Weisshaar failed to return him home following a custody visit.

Cops in Portugal are understood to have been searching for the father and son after they vanished until the grim discovery was made yesterday.

Portuguese daily Jornal de Noticias reports Weisshaar and Ms Arnold had separated in July.

Police sources reportedly described their relationship as “troubled”.

Three-year-old Tasso was found dead in a burnt-out car in Portugal

After the split, it’s understood Ms Arnold – whose clients include Paloma Faith – had moved to Lisbon with their child, and her ex had not seen Tasso until the end of last month when he went to the Portuguese capital.

Weisshaar took the youngster and “promised” to return him on November 1 after spending some time with him.

But according to the newspaper, the dad went back on his word and so Ms Arnold went to authorities to report them missing the same day.

Phoebe Arnold (L), and Clemens Weisshaar. Picture: CJ Rivera/Getty Images

Searches had taken place in the area but nothing had been found until the hunters made their gruesome discovery yesterday.

Tasso’s body was reportedly found near a remote piece of land his parents had bought to build a house on.

Police investigation

Initial reports in Portugal point to police reaching the conclusion Weisshaar and his son had been dead for around two days.

However, an autopsy due to be performed later today is expected to pinpoint the exact time of death.

Munich-born Weisshaar is understood to have lived in the area and had an office in the town of Grandola, around 20 minutes from where the two bodies were found.

Weisshaar first trained as a metalworker before studying design at London’s Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design, now called Central Saint Martins.

He founded Kram/Weisshaar in Munich and Stockholm in 2002 with business partner Reed Kram, an American who has a background in computer science and maths as well as design.

Phoebe Arnold. Picture: David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Miu Miu

Kram/Weisshaar’s work has been exhibited worldwide and can be found in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein in Germany.

Calls to the company’s office in Stockholm, where Weisshaar’s business partner is believed to be based, went unanswered early this morning.

There was no answer either at its office in Munich, and the firm has been approached for comment via email.

It’s reported Weisshaar had been dating Ms Arnold since 2016 and they are thought to have married before splitting this year, when she was given primary custody of Tasso.

British-born stylist Ms Arnold previously worked as fashion director for magazines including Elle and Garage after co-founding Ponystep Magazine.

She has been pictured with the likes of supermodel Gigi Hadid, while counting singer Paloma Faith among her famous clients.

Phoebe Arnold, right, pictured with Gigi Hadid, is a British celebrity stylist.

The Policia Judiciaria – Portugal’s national criminal investigation agency which is leading the investigation – is not yet commenting on the case.

A spokeswoman for the PJ at its press office in Lisbon said: “We have no comment to make at this stage.”

Meanwhile, a worker at a restaurant in a village near to where hunters made their horror discovery, who described the German man and his ex-partner as occasional customers, told Jornal de Noticias: “Sometimes they came in with the little boy and other times it was just him.

“He wasn’t a person who spoke a lot. Good morning and good afternoon and that was it.”

This article originally appeared in The Sun and was reproduced with permission

Originally published as Celeb stylist’s son, 3, found dead in burnt-out car near dad’s body in suspected murder-suicide in Portugal