A large-scale search for three-year-old Noah Woods has ended with the recovery of a child’s body from a pond near the Suffolk village where he disappeared. Suffolk Police confirmed the development on Wednesday, 16 September 2026, after more than 24 hours of intensive efforts involving emergency services and members of the public.

Noah was last seen on the afternoon of Tuesday, 15 September, at a playground on Merriam Close in Brantham, a village near the Suffolk-EsSєx border. CCTV footage recorded him in the play area at 2:37 p.m. He became separated from a relative and is believed to have run down an alleyway beside the playground in the direction of a new housing development.

The little boy was non-verbal, had partial hearing loss, and was undergoing ᴀssessment for autism. Officers advised searchers that he would not respond to his name being called. He was described as having curly ginger hair and was last seen wearing a white T-shirt featuring the character Bluey, shorts, and black Vans trainers with a white stripe. One of the last people to see him, a local worker opposite the playground, said the child appeared “happy and healthy.”

An extensive search operation was quickly organised. Suffolk Police were joined by specialist dive teams from the Metropolitan Police, Suffolk Fire and Rescue, HM Coastguard, lowland search-and-rescue units, dog teams, and a helicopter. More than 1,300 members of the public also took part, with some travelling from as far as Birmingham and Hampshire. Volunteers were briefed and organised from Brantham Leisure Centre and the village hall, which ran short of high-visibility vests because of the high numbers of people offering help. The search area was expanded on Wednesday to include nearby locations such as East Bergholt and Manningtree.

On Wednesday afternoon, specialist divers recovered the body of a child from Decoy Pond, a fishing lake situated roughly 320 to 350 yards (about 300 metres) from the playground. Superintendent Tom Pearse of Suffolk Police said formal identification had not yet been completed, but Noah’s family had been informed of the discovery. He stated that the circumstances were being treated as unexplained but not suspicious, and that the coroner would be notified.

Pearse expressed deep sympathy for the family and thanked the community for its response. He said officers had been “overwhelmed” by the number of people who came forward to ᴀssist and asked the public to allow the family privacy and space in the coming days.

A fundraising appeal for the family raised several thousand pounds within hours of being launched. Local residents and volunteers had earlier been asked to check gardens, sheds, outbuildings, and any other places where a small child might have sought shelter.

The search operation has now concluded following the recovery. Formal identification and further inquiries by the coroner are expected to follow.

Sources : BBC News, The Guardian