A child’s body has been recovered from Decoy Pond in Brantham, Suffolk, during the search for missing three-year-old Noah Woods.
Suffolk Constabulary said the child was believed to be Noah, who disappeared from a playground near his home on Tuesday. The death is being treated as unexplained but not suspicious, and the coroner has been informed.
Specialist dive teams searched the lake after police cordoned off the area. Superintendent Tom Pearse said the force had been “overwhelmed by the outpouring of public support” after more than 1,300 people joined the search.
Noah was non-verbal, partially deaf and being assessed for autism. CCTV showed him wearing a white Bluey T-shirt, shorts and black Vans trainers while playing on a roundabout in Merriam Close at 2.37pm.
He is believed to have become separated from a relative shortly afterwards and run down an alleyway leading towards a new-build housing estate, the lake and a railway line.
Residents had been asked to check their gardens, sheds and outbuildings, while people with CCTV and doorbell cameras were urged to review their footage.
Noah’s father, Rhys Woods, had pleaded for the search to continue, saying: “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.”
Volunteers searched under the direction of teams working from the village hall and a local leisure centre. Parish clerk Sarah Keys told searchers: “Please remember we are searching for a frightened three-year-old boy.”
Those taking part had been instructed not to grab or approach Noah if they found him, but to call police on 999 and provide their exact location using the What3Words app.
It was understood that many volunteers were in tears after news that a child’s body had been found. Noah’s great-uncle, Tony Malcolm, had described him as “a lovely little kid”.
