Body of child found in Decoy Pond near Brantam after search for three-year-old Noah Woods
Suffolk Police say the body was recovered from Decoy Pond; formal identification is pending and the discovery is not being treated as suspicious.
Police have recovered the body of a child from Decoy Pond in Brantam while searching for three-year-old Noah Woods, who went missing yesterday from a playground.
Noah Woods was last seen yesterday at 3pm in Merriam Close, Brantam, near Manningtree, before he separated from a family member.
Authorities describe search and next steps
“This afternoon, police and fire crews, sadly, recovered the body of a child from Decoy Pond in Brantam. Formal identification has not yet been carried out, but Noah Woods's family have been informed of this development. The discovery of the body is currently being treated as not suspicious in relation to a criminal offence, but the circumstances are unclear,” said Tom Piers of Suffolk Police today. He added that a dedicated coroner’s investigator will be informed about the case.
Officers had focused searches on Decoy Pond, the surrounding woods, the nearby River Stour and the railway line. Specialist search teams, dog units and police helicopters were deployed, and a wide community effort supported the operation.
About 1,300 volunteers joined the search. A police representative said they were overwhelmed by the public response: “We have been overwhelmed by the huge public support and by people who put their boots on to help with the search.”
Noah's father posted on social media during the search asking volunteers to widen the area searched beyond the village: “I can’t go through another night knowing he is out there on his own. Please don’t give up on him. He is out there somewhere and thank you to every one of you,” he wrote.
Photo: Suffolk Police
