Police recover body from pond after massive search for missing Noah Woods

Police searching for missing three-year-old Noah Woods have recovered the body of a child from a pond in Brantham, Suffolk.

Noah disappeared at around 3:00 PM on Tuesday after becoming separated from a relative near a playground in Merriam Close.

Suffolk Constabulary said Wednesday that police and fire crews had recovered a body from Decoy Pond in the village.

“Formal identification has yet to take place, but the family of Noah Woods have been informed of this development. The discovery of the body is currently being treated as not suspicious, but unexplained,” Supt Tom Pearse said in a statement.

More than 1,300 members of the public joined the search, alongside police, firefighters, coastguard crews and search and rescue teams. Sniffer dogs, helicopters, thermal imaging and CCTV searches were also used.

Noah had been reported running down an alley near the playground towards a housing estate. Police previously said he was autistic, non-verbal and had partial hearing loss, and would not respond to his name.

“First and foremost, our thoughts are with Noah’s family and all those who know them,” Pearse said.

Police said the coroner would be informed. Formal identification has not yet taken place, and the discovery is currently being treated as unexplained but not suspicious.