Three-year-old Noah Woods ran through an open gate after visiting a play area in Brantham, Suffolk, on September 15, with a relative who police said was "trying to keep up with him". He was found dead in a lake the next day.
His disappearance sparked a large-scale search involving around 1,300 members of the public. Volunteers were told Noah was non-verbal, partially deaf and undergoing an assessment for autism, and would not respond to his name being called.
CCTV captures final moments
In the moments before he vanished, Noah was captured on CCTV running around and playing with a roundabout. An inquest heard he left the playground through a gap in the fence leading towards a memorial garden.
He then went through an open gate and headed in the direction of Decoy Pond, while being closely followed by a relative, Detective Chief Inspector Matthew Connick told the hearing.
Search and recovery
Mr Connick said the relative "shouted after him", but after 200 metres Noah could not be seen. "Police were called and a large-scale search operation began," he said.
The toddler was pulled from the nearby lake, known locally as Decoy Pond, by Met Police divers the following day. Mr Connick said Noah was found "approximately five metres from the bank and within submerged tree roots".
Inquest opened
Noah was pronounced dead at 4.31pm by paramedics and his identity was formally confirmed by his mother Charlie Peck at Ipswich Hospital that evening. A post-mortem examination at Addenbrooke's Hospital mortuary in Cambridge recorded his medical cause of death as pending further investigation, Mr Connick said.
Assistant coroner for Suffolk Jyoti Gill said at the outset of the hearing, which was not attended by family: "I would like to express my deepest condolences to Noah's family and friends and all those affected by Noah's death." She said at the end of the six-minute hearing: "The inquest is adjourned to a date to be fixed in due course. Once again, my deepest condolences."
