“THERE ARE NO WORDS” — FATHER OF THREE-YEAR-OLD NOAH WOODS SPEAKS OUT AFTER HIS SON’S BODY IS FOUND

The father of three-year-old Noah Woods has shared a heartbreaking tribute after his son’s body was found in a pond following a huge search operation in Suffolk.

Noah disappeared from a playground in Brantham on the afternoon of September 15 after becoming separated from a relative.

More than 1,300 members of the public joined emergency services in the search for the missing toddler.

The following day, specialist divers recovered the body of a child from Decoy Pond.

Suffolk Police later formally confirmed that the body was Noah.

His father, Rhys Woods, described the devastating loss in an emotional statement shared with the community.

“There are no words to describe the pain of this loss, we are all absolutely heartbroken,” he wrote.

“Noah was the sweetest and most innocent little boy, with nothing but love to give and we are going to miss him so very much.”

“HE MADE AN IMPACT ACROSS THE WHOLE NATION”

Rhys also thanked the thousands of people who came together to search for his son.

He said the support had brought comfort and strength to the family during what he described as the darkest time of their lives.

“It seems he has made an impact across the whole nation,” Rhys wrote, adding that people had taken Noah into their hearts while desperately hoping to bring him home safely.

He also thanked police officers, Coastguard teams, paramedics, volunteers and members of the public who travelled to Brantham to help with the search.

“The compassion shown by all of you will never be forgotten by us,” he said.

The search had brought together a huge number of volunteers, with emergency services using specialist teams, search dogs, helicopters and divers as they searched the village and surrounding areas.

NOAH WAS FOUND IN DECOY POND

Police divers discovered Noah’s body in Decoy Pond on September 16.

An inquest later heard that Noah had left the playground through a gap in a fence before passing through an open gate from a nearby memorial garden.

Detective Chief Inspector Matthew Connick told the hearing that a relative had been following Noah but lost sight of him after about 200 metres.

The toddler was later found approximately five metres from the pond’s bank, among submerged tree roots, at a depth of around 1.8 metres.

The inquest heard that his medical cause of death remained pending further investigation.

Police have said Noah’s death is not being treated as suspicious.

“YOU WILL BE LOVED FOREVER”

Rhys ended his tribute with a message directly to his son.

“Noah, you will be loved forever, you will never be forgotten and we miss you so so much,” he wrote.

“It has been a privilege to be your parents and be able to have packed so much love in the short three years you were with us.”

The message was signed from Noah’s “daddy and mummy and little brother.”

Noah’s wider family later asked people to remember him not only because of the tragedy, but as the “happy, cheeky, playful” little boy he was.

They described his laughter, his love for his baby brother and the joy he brought to those around him.

For the people of Brantham, the enormous search that began with hope ended in heartbreak.

For Noah’s family, the focus now is on remembering the little boy they loved — a child his father said had “nothing but love to give.”