Hundreds of tributes have been left near the playground where three-year-old Noah Woods was last seen after police recovered the body of a child from a nearby pond.
More than 100 bouquets, teddy bears, model cars and personal messages had been placed beside the playground in Brantham by Thursday morning, alongside Bluey toys reflecting one of Noah’s favourite cartoon characters.
The discovery came after a huge search involving emergency services and members of the public. A child’s body was recovered from Decoy Pond, around 250 yards from the playground, on Wednesday afternoon. Formal identification had not taken place at the time of the latest update, but Noah’s parents had been informed and a file passed to the coroner.
Noah ran from playground
Noah had been playing with a relative at the Merriam Way playground on Tuesday afternoon when he suddenly ran away at around 2.37pm.
He was seen heading down a path alongside the play area towards a nearby housing development. His precise route after leaving the playground has not been established.
Police divers entered Decoy Pond the following afternoon and recovered the body of a child shortly afterwards.
Concerns for Noah had been particularly acute because he was non-verbal, had partial hearing loss and was undergoing assessment for autism.
Huge community search
The disappearance prompted an extraordinary response from the community.
Up to 1,000 people searched the village and surrounding farmland on Tuesday night alongside police, coastguard and firefighters. Police estimated that around 1,300 members of the public returned to help with the search the following day.
Noah’s father, Rhys Woods, had appealed for people not to give up searching for his son.
He wrote: “I cannot go another night knowing he’s out there alone, please don’t give up on him, guys.”
Tributes left beside playground
Candles were placed near the playground on Wednesday evening before flowers and children’s toys began appearing along its wooden fence.
One message left with a cuddly toy read: “Little Noah, May you rest in eternal peace. You will remain in the hearts of the village and all your friends forever. Shine bright XX.”
Superintendent Tom Pearse said: “Our thoughts are with Noah’s family and all those who knew him.
“We have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of public support and people putting on their boots to help.”
Suffolk Police said the death was being treated as unexplained but not suspicious.
