POLICE REVEAL FRESH UPDATE AFTER BODY OF MISSING 3-YEAR-OLD NOAH WOODS IS FOUND

The search for missing three-year-old Noah Woods has ended in heartbreaking circumstances after police confirmed that a child found in a Suffolk pond was formally identified as the little boy.

Noah disappeared in Brantham on the afternoon of Tuesday, September 15, after becoming separated from a relative during a visit to the playground at Merriam Close.

Police said he was seen running down an alleyway beside the playground towards a nearby new-build housing estate and Decoy Pond.

A huge search operation was launched, involving specialist police teams, search dogs, helicopters, HM Coastguard, Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service, Suffolk Lowland Search and Rescue, the Environment Agency, ambulance teams and the Metropolitan Police Dive Team.

Around 1,300 members of the public also joined the search, with volunteers searching the village and surrounding areas.

BODY RECOVERED FROM DECOY POND

On Wednesday afternoon, September 16, officers from the Metropolitan Police Dive Team recovered the body of a child from Decoy Pond.

At the time, formal identification had not yet been completed, although Noah’s family had been informed of the discovery.

Police later confirmed that the child had been formally identified as Noah Woods, aged three.

Suffolk Constabulary said Noah’s death is not being treated as suspicious, but officers still have a number of enquiries to complete before submitting a file to the coroner.

That means police have not announced a criminal explanation for what happened to Noah.

POLICE THANK THE COMMUNITY

Superintendent Tom Pearse paid tribute to the enormous response from the community, saying people across Suffolk and beyond had rallied together during the search.

Police said members of the public helped in many different ways — from searching the village to coordinating volunteers, providing food and drink, helping with facilities and directing traffic.

Officers have also urged people to respect Noah’s family’s privacy as they face the devastating loss of their young son.

Before the discovery, police had described Noah as non-verbal and said he had partial hearing loss and was undergoing an assessment for autism. Officers had asked residents to check gardens, sheds, outbuildings and CCTV footage as the search continued.

The case will now continue through the remaining police enquiries and the coroner’s process.

For a family and community that spent more than 24 hours desperately hoping Noah would be found alive, the latest confirmation has brought an unbearable end to the search.