A LITTLE BOY VANISHED. 1,300 PEOPLE SEARCHED. THEN POLICE DIVERS MADE THE DISCOVERY NO ONE WANTED.

Three-year-old Noah Woods disappeared in broad daylight after becoming separated from a relative near a playground in Brantham, Suffolk.

Within hours, the search had grown into a massive operation.

Around 1,300 people joined the hunt for Noah.

Police officers, search dogs, helicopters, firefighters, coastguard teams, specialist volunteers and Metropolitan Police divers scoured the area for more than 24 hours.

Then came the devastating breakthrough.

Specialist divers searching Decoy Pond recovered the body of a child.

Police have now formally confirmed the identity.

It was Noah Woods.

Noah was last seen at around 2:37 p.m. on September 15. CCTV showed the three-year-old running down an alleyway before disappearing from sight.

For more than a day, strangers searched alongside emergency crews, holding onto the hope that the missing toddler would be found alive.

Instead, the search ended at the pond.

Suffolk Constabulary says Noah’s 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.”

Flowers, toys and messages are now being left at the playground where Noah was last seen.

1,300 people went looking for a missing child. The discovery at Decoy Pond brought their desperate search to the most heartbreaking end.