BREAKING: THE SEARCH FOR 3-YEAR-OLD NOAH WOODS ENDS IN TRAGEDY — HIS BODY HAS BEEN FOUND

For more than 24 hours, 1,300 people searched desperately for Noah Woods, hoping the missing three-year-old would somehow be found alive.

Then specialist divers entered Decoy Pond in Brantham, Suffolk.

A child’s body was recovered from the water.

Police have now formally confirmed the identity:

It was Noah.

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

The disappearance triggered an enormous search operation involving police officers, search dogs, helicopters, firefighters, coastguard crews, specialist volunteers and Metropolitan Police divers.

People searched through streets, fields and waterways, with thousands refusing to give up hope.

But after more than a day of searching, the breakthrough came from the pond.

Suffolk Constabulary says Noah’s death is not being treated as suspicious, although the circumstances remain unexplained and further enquiries are continuing for the coroner.

Noah’s father, Rhys Woods, described his son as “the sweetest and most innocent little boy.”

The playground where Noah was last seen is now surrounded by flowers, toys and messages of remembrance.

The search that began with thousands looking for a missing child has ended with a family facing an unbearable loss.