A huge search for missing three-year-old Noah Woods is continuing across a Suffolk village as his father issued an emotional appeal for people not to give up looking for his son.
Noah disappeared at around 3pm on Tuesday 15 September after running from an under-fives playground in Merriam Close, Brantham. CCTV released during the search shows him playing at the park at 2.37pm — around 20 minutes before he vanished.
The youngster is believed to have run down an alley beside the playground towards a new-build housing development near Decoy Pond, which has since been cordoned off by police.
Police dogs, officers and HM Coastguard helicopters have been deployed, while Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service, Suffolk Lowland Search and Rescue and large numbers of members of the public have joined the operation.
Officers have been searching gardens and garages and carrying out door-to-door enquiries, while residents have been asked to check sheds, outbuildings and other places where a frightened child could potentially hide.
Father: ‘I cannot go another night knowing he’s out there alone’
Noah’s father, Rhys Woods, appealed for searchers to expand their efforts after saying there had still been no sign of his son.
He said: “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 has partial hearing loss. His father has described him as mildly autistic, while police have previously said he is undergoing an assessment for autism.
Residents are being urged to examine CCTV and doorbell footage recorded from 3pm onwards, while motorists who travelled through Brantham are being asked to check dashcam recordings.
Superintendent Pete Partridge said police were “very concerned” for Noah’s welfare and needed to find him “as a matter of urgency”, adding that a vast number of resources had been deployed.
Anyone who sees Noah should call 999 immediately, quoting CAD 203 of 15 September.
