The search for a non-verbal, partially deaf three-year-old boy who disappeared from a playground in Suffolk has entered its second day.
Officials said at 3am that there had still been no confirmed sightings of Noah Woods, who ran ahead of his grandfather before disappearing down an alleyway at around 3pm on Tuesday.
Hundreds of people joined emergency services and police overnight as the search continued across Brantham.
Noah is autistic and may not respond if his name is called. He was described as white, with curly ginger hair, and was wearing a Bluey T-shirt, shorts and white trainers when he went missing.
The alleyway where he was last seen leads towards a new-build housing estate, a local pond and a railway line.
Noah’s great-uncle Tony Malcolm, who took part in the search, described him as “a lovely little kid”.
Residents were asked to search their gardens, sheds and outbuildings. A Coastguard helicopter was also seen circling the village, which lies close to the River Stour estuary.
Train passengers travelling between Manningtree and Ipswich were warned that services would operate at reduced speed while the search was under way.
More than 100 people have joined the search for three-year-old Noah Woods, who disappeared after visiting a Suffolk playground
Noah went missing after becoming separated from a relative in Merriam Close, Brantham, on Tuesday afternoon
Emergency services are searching Brantham as residents are urged to check their gardens, sheds and outbuildings
Shortly before midnight, volunteers helping with the search were asked to return home and rest. However, many continued looking through the streets.
Brantham Parish Council said on Facebook: “We have been completely overwhelmed by the support received from the Brantham community and from visitors from far and wide. Our thanks go to the emergency services and every volunteer who has joined the search so far.
“The Village Hall will remain open throughout the night, with toilet facilities and drinks available if you need them.
“The emergency services will continue their search throughout the night.”
In a late–night update, they added: ‘So far there have been no sightings of Noah.
‘The police are continuing their search through the night. They have asked us to let the public know that if you are asked to move by the police this will be to allow them to do specialist work so please be courteous.
‘For all those still searching, the police would like to remind volunteers to take care, travel in pairs, wear high–vis and to keep away from dangerous sites.
‘As a priority please check your own property; in gardens, sheds, under furniture etc.’
Parish council clerk Sarah Keys estimated ‘up to 1,000’ locals had joined the search.
Volunteers from Suffolk Lowland Search and Rescue used a boat to search Decoy Pond, the local beauty spot Noah was seen running towards.
Police dog units joined the search overnight, and thermal imagine cameras were deployed.
One officer manning the cordon urged the public to allow officers to get on with the job themselves.
He told the Harwich and Manningtree Standard: ‘We have been given information and we want to search this bit with our teams now that we have got the teams here.
‘You’ve got dog units looking for any sort of tracks, and then we’ve got thermal imaging going throughout the wooded area.
‘At this time of night with this light, it’s harder for members of the public – we want to make sure we can do that with all of our equipment we’ve got.
‘The more people we have got in there [in the woodland] the harder it is going to be for us, especially with scents – if there is a scent or a track or anything like that, we don’t want that to be changed in any way.
‘If there are people in there, the thermal imaging is going to pick up them as opposed to obviously all of our goal to find the little man.’
Suffolk Police said anyone with information about Noah’s whereabouts should contact them.
The said: ‘Police are appealing for help to locate a missing three–year–old boy in Brantham.
‘Noah was last seen at approximately 3pm [on] Tuesday 15 September, when he became separated from a relative after visiting the playground in Merriam Close.
The search continues in darkness for three–year–old Noah, who disappeared in Brantham
Volunteers who joined the hunt have now been told to go home for the night and rest
‘Noah is reported to have run off down the alleyway beside the playground towards the new build housing estate.
‘Noah is described as white, with curly ginger hair. He is wearing a white Bluey t–shirt, shorts and white trainers.’
A spokesman for HM Coastguard said: ‘We are assisting Suffolk Constabulary with an incident at Brantham by sending an HM Coastguard helicopter and Coastguard Rescue Teams from Felixstowe and Holbrook.’
