NEW CCTV SHOWS NOAH WOODS’ LAST KNOWN MOVEMENTS AS POLICE SEARCH DECoy POND

Newly released CCTV footage has revealed the last known movements of three-year-old Noah Woods shortly before he disappeared from a playground in Brantham, Suffolk.

Noah was last seen on the afternoon of September 15, 2026, after visiting the Merriam Close play area with a relative. Police said CCTV captured him at around 2:37 p.m., playing in the playground before he ran from the area.

He was later believed to have gone down an alleyway beside the playground toward a nearby housing development and Decoy Pond.

The footage became an important part of the frantic search for the three-year-old, who was non-verbal and had partial hearing loss. Police also said he was undergoing an autism assessment and would not necessarily respond if his name was called.

POLICE CORDONED OFF THE LAKE

As the search intensified, officers cordoned off Decoy Pond and surrounding woodland.

Specialist police divers, search dogs, helicopters, firefighters, coastguard teams and local search-and-rescue volunteers were deployed across Brantham and surrounding areas.

More than 1,000 members of the public joined the search, with residents also asked to check gardens, sheds, outbuildings and CCTV or doorbell footage for any sign of Noah.

Police repeatedly urged members of the public not to enter dangerous areas such as open water and railway lines, saying those locations required specialist teams.

At the time, officers said there was no indication of criminality, although they were keeping an open mind about the circumstances of Noah’s disappearance.

BODY RECOVERED FROM DECOY POND

The search took a heartbreaking turn on September 16.

Specialist dive teams recovered the body of a child from Decoy Pond, just a short distance from where Noah had last been seen.

At the time, police said formal identification was still pending and described the discovery as unexplained but not suspicious.

Noah’s family was informed of the discovery.

Formal identification was subsequently completed, confirming that the child recovered from the pond was Noah Woods.

His father, Rhys Woods, later shared an emotional tribute to his son, describing Noah as “the sweetest and most innocent little boy” and thanking the emergency services, volunteers and members of the public who had joined the search.

A COMMUNITY LEFT HEARTBROKEN

The disappearance prompted an extraordinary response from the community, with hundreds of people arriving in Brantham to help search for the little boy.

Volunteers worked alongside police and emergency services, while local businesses and community groups offered support to those taking part.

The discovery at Decoy Pond brought the two-day search to a devastating end.

Police have said the circumstances surrounding Noah’s death were being treated as unexplained but not suspicious, while the coroner was informed.

For his family and the community that searched desperately for him, the CCTV footage now stands as a record of the final known moments of a little boy whose disappearance touched people far beyond his hometown.