THEY SEARCHED FOR NOAH THROUGH THE NIGHT. AT DECOY POND, THEY FOUND THE ANSWER.

Three-year-old Noah Woods disappeared in broad daylight.

Within hours, 1,300 people were searching for him — police, volunteers, specialist teams and members of the public united by one hope: that the little boy would be found alive.

Then the search reached Decoy Pond.

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

Police have now formally confirmed the devastating truth:

It 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 captured him running down an alleyway before he disappeared from sight.

The response was immediate and enormous. Search dogs, helicopters, firefighters, coastguard crews, specialist volunteers and Metropolitan Police divers joined the operation as the search continued for more than 24 hours.

But the breakthrough everyone had been praying for never came.

Instead, investigators found Noah in the pond.

Suffolk Constabulary says his death is not being treated as suspicious, although 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.”

Now flowers and toys are being left at the playground where he was last seen, as Brantham mourns a child whose disappearance brought thousands together.

They spent a day searching for where Noah had gone. The answer was waitin