NEW DETAILS EMERGE IN NOAH WOODS CASE AS INQUEST HEARS HOW THREE-YEAR-OLD LEFT PLAYGROUND

BRANTHAM, SUFFOLK — New details have emerged about the final known movements of three-year-old Noah Woods, whose disappearance earlier this month triggered a huge search operation involving police, emergency services and around 1,300 members of the public.

An inquest into Noah’s death heard on September 25 that the young boy had left an under-fives play area through a gap in the fence before making his way towards a nearby pond.

Noah had been visiting the playground in Merriam Close, Brantham, Suffolk, with a relative on the afternoon of September 15 when he became separated from them.

He was later found in Decoy Pond, where police divers recovered his body the following day.

Suffolk Police have said his death is not being treated as suspicious, although the circumstances remain under investigation.

CCTV CAPTURED NOAH PLAYING BEFORE HE DISAPPEARED

Detective Chief Inspector Matthew Connick told Suffolk Coroner’s Court that Noah was being cared for by relatives as part of what he described as his normal routine that afternoon.

The family had walked to an under-fives play area, where CCTV captured Noah playing with his relative.

The first available footage was recorded at approximately 2:13 p.m., while Noah was last seen playing at around 2:37 p.m.

However, police said the camera was motion-activated and therefore did not provide continuous footage of everything that happened.

According to the evidence presented at the inquest, Noah subsequently left the play area through a gap in the fence.

He then entered a memorial garden through an open gate and headed in the direction of Decoy Pond.

RELATIVE TRIED TO FOLLOW HIM

The inquest heard that Noah’s relative followed closely behind him and attempted to keep up.

The relative also shouted after him.

But after approximately 200 metres, Noah could no longer be seen.

Police were then contacted and a major search operation began.

The scale of the response was enormous.

Around 1,300 members of the public joined police and emergency services in searching the surrounding area. National Police Air Service helicopters, HM Coastguard, Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service and Suffolk Lowland Search and Rescue were among those involved.

BODY FOUND IN DECOY POND

On September 16, police divers searching Decoy Pond recovered the body of a child.

At the time, Suffolk Police said the discovery was being treated as unexplained but not suspicious.

The inquest heard that Noah was eventually found approximately five metres from the bank, among submerged tree roots.

The water at that location was estimated to be around 1.8 metres deep.

His death was confirmed by paramedics at approximately 4:31 p.m.

His identity was subsequently formally confirmed by his mother, Charlie Peck, at Ipswich Hospital.

A post-mortem examination was carried out at Addenbrooke’s Hospital mortuary in Cambridge, but the medical cause of death was still pending further investigation, the inquest heard.

A FAMILY LEFT HEARTBROKEN

Noah’s disappearance and death prompted an extraordinary response from the local community.

His family described him as a happy and playful little boy who loved to laugh and brought joy to those around him.

Noah’s father, Rhys Woods, also paid tribute to his son, describing him as the “sweetest and most innocent little boy” and saying the family was devastated by his loss.

Tributes were left at the playground where Noah was last seen, while members of the wider community continued to support his family.

A fundraising campaign established after his death also attracted more than £100,000 in donations.

INQUEST ADJOURNED

The initial inquest hearing in Ipswich lasted only several minutes.

Assistant Coroner for Suffolk Jyoti Gill expressed her condolences to Noah’s family and everyone affected by his death before adjourning the inquest to a date yet to be fixed.

The hearing is expected to continue once further investigations and relevant evidence have been completed.

For now, police have not indicated that anyone else was responsible for Noah’s death.

The latest evidence instead provides a clearer picture of his movements after leaving the playground — from the gap in the fence, through the memorial garden and towards Decoy Pond — before the desperate search for the missing three-year-old began.

The investigation and inquest remain ongoing.