HE RAN AWAY FROM THE PLAYGROUND. 24 HOURS LATER, POLICE DIVERS FOUND HIM IN THE WATER.

Three-year-old Noah Woods disappeared in broad daylight. More than 1,300 people joined the desperate search to find him.

But after hours of searching streets, fields and surrounding areas, the breakthrough came from Decoy Pond.

Specialist divers recovered the body of a child from the water.

Police have now formally confirmed the devastating news: the child 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 in Brantham, Suffolk. CCTV showed him running down an alleyway before disappearing from sight.

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

For more than 24 hours, hundreds of people searched desperately for the three-year-old, hoping the next sighting would bring him home alive.

Instead, the search ended at Decoy Pond.

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

His father, Rhys Woods, described Noah as “the sweetest and most innocent little boy” in a heartbreaking tribute.

Across Brantham, flowers and toys are now being left near the playground where Noah was last seen.

The search that began with hope has ended in unimaginable grief.