A body has been found in a lake in the search for missing three-year-old Noah Woods.
The toddler, who was non-verbal, partially deaf and being assessed for autism, vanished from a playground in the tiny village of Brantham, Suffolk, yesterday.
Superintendent Tom Pearse from Suffolk Constabulary said dive teams had recovered the body of a child, believed to be Noah, from Decoy Pond this afternoon.
He said the death was being treated as unexplained but not suspicious and that Noah’s family had been informed.
CCTV images had showed Noah, wearing a white Bluey T-shirt, shorts and black Vans trainers, playing on a roundabout near his home yesterday afternoon.
He is believed to have run off from a relative shortly afterwards, before disappearing down an alleyway that leads to a new-build housing estate, a lake and a railway line.
This morning, police cordoned off Decoy Pond in Brantham and a nearby footpath, as specialist divers searched the water.
More than 1,300 people joined in to help with the hunt for Noah with Supt Pearse saying the force had been ‘overwhelmed by the outpouring of public support’.
‘As a parent myself, I completely understand why people would want to help and such a response is one that typifies the strong sense of community and the heartwarming nature of Suffolk people that make the county such a special place,’ he said.
Many of those who had helped with the search for Noah were in tears at the news a body had been found.
Hundreds of members of the public had joined the search to find three–year–old Noah Woods, who went missing after visiting a playground in Suffolk
Georgia Terry, 30, a carer who had rushed over from Clacton in Essex after work to help, said: ‘We started further afield at first but thought he’d have to be close [to where he went missing].
‘It just makes your blood run cold. In the blink of an eye, as well. It’s dreadful.’
A man in his 30s, who was walking with a young girl, wiped his eyes as he said: ‘It sounded bad from the start but we had to come because there’s always hope. It looks like that’s gone now.
‘I can’t imagine what Noah’s family are going through. It’s the worst news. The worst.’
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.
Police have released new CCTV images of the last whereabouts of missing Noah Woods
Aerial images show specialist police teams preparing to search a local lake on Wednesday
Noah vanished after becoming separated from a relative in Merriam Close, Brantham, on Tuesday afternoon
‘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
