NOAH WOODS WAS STILL MISSING WHEN THE SEARCH TURNED TO DECOY POND — THEN CAME THE DEVASTATING DISCOVERY

The three-year-old had vanished without a trace.

For more than 24 hours, 1,300 people joined the desperate hunt for Noah Woods, searching streets, fields and waterways across Brantham.

Then specialist divers entered Decoy Pond.

They recovered the body of a child.

Police have now formally confirmed the identity.

It was three-year-old Noah Woods.

Noah disappeared at around 2:37 p.m. on September 15 after becoming separated from a relative following a visit to a playground in Brantham, Suffolk. CCTV showed him running down an alleyway before disappearing from sight.

What followed was an enormous search involving police officers, search dogs, helicopters, firefighters, coastguard teams, specialist volunteers and Metropolitan Police divers.

Hundreds of strangers joined the operation, holding onto the hope that Noah would be found alive.

That hope was shattered when the search reached Decoy Pond.

Suffolk Constabulary has said Noah’s death is not being treated as suspicious, while the circumstances remain unexplained and further enquiries continue for the coroner.

His father, Rhys Woods, paid tribute to his son as “the sweetest and most innocent little boy.”

Now, the place where Noah was last seen has become a memorial, with flowers, toys and messages left by a community mourning a child whose disappearance brought thousands together.

For more than a day, Britain waited for Noah to come home. The search has now ended in heartbreak.