Police Find Body in Search for Missing Noah: What We Know

A child’s body has been recovered from a lake during the search for missing three-year-old Noah Woods.

Noah, who was non-verbal, partially deaf and undergoing an autism assessment, disappeared from a playground in the small Suffolk village of Brantham on Tuesday.

Suffolk Constabulary Superintendent Tom Pearse said specialist dive teams found the body of a child in Decoy Pond this afternoon. It is believed to be Noah.

Police said the death was being treated as unexplained but was not considered suspicious. Noah’s family has been informed.

Earlier, officers released CCTV footage showing Noah’s final known movements. The images showed him playing on a roundabout close to his home shortly after 2.30pm on Tuesday.

He is believed to have run away from a relative soon afterwards before vanishing down an alley leading towards a new-build housing estate, a lake and a railway line.

Decoy Pond and a nearby footpath were cordoned off on Wednesday morning while specialist divers searched the water.

More than 1,300 people took part in the search for Noah. Superintendent Pearse said police had been “overwhelmed by the outpouring of public support”.

“As a parent myself, I completely understand why people would want to help,” he said. “Such a response typifies the strong sense of community and the heartwarming nature of Suffolk people that make the county such a special place.”

Many members of the public who had joined the search were left in tears after learning that a body had been found.

Georgia Terry, 30, a carer who travelled from Clacton in Essex after finishing work, said searchers initially looked further away but soon felt Noah was likely to be close to where he disappeared.

“It just makes your blood run cold. In the blink of an eye as well. It’s dreadful,” she said.

A man in his 30s, who had been searching alongside a young girl, wiped away tears as he said the situation had sounded serious from the beginning but people had joined the effort because there was still hope.

“I can’t imagine what Noah’s family are going through. It’s the worst news. The worst,” he said.

Residents had been urged to check their gardens, sheds and outbuildings, and those with CCTV or doorbell cameras have been asked to review the footage.

Noah’s devastated father, Rhys Woods, this morning pleaded with the public to help, saying he ‘cannot go another night knowing he’s out there alone’ and urging people not to give up hope.

Posting to Facebook, Mr Woods said: ‘We still have nothing, all the emergency services and all of you have shown how strong this community is, with people coming from far and wide also.

‘The emergency services are very confident that the high risk areas (Decoy pond, railway lines) are all clear.

‘This means knowing our boy, he has gone even further, could I ask that all of you brilliant people out there today expand further if you are able to?

‘I cannot go another night knowing he’s out there alone, please don’t give up on him guys. He is out there somewhere and I appreciate every single one of you.’

Noah’s great-uncle, Tony Malcolm, who was part of the search team, described him as ‘a lovely little kid’.

Today, volunteers could be seen in hi-vis jackets helping to search the area, with efforts being co-ordinated from the village hall and a local leisure centre.

Searchers were briefed at the village hall by parish clerk, Sarah Keys, who told them: ‘Please remember we are searching for a frightened three-year-old boy.’

They have been told not to grab or approach Noah if they find him, but instead to call police on 999 immediately and give their exact location using the What3Words app.

Ms Keys said around 500 people had stayed up all night to carry on searching for Noah.

This is a breaking news story – more to follow