A fundraiser launched after the death of three-year-old Noah Woods has so far raised more than £48,000 towards the family's expenses during this "heart-breaking time."
Noah was reported missing on Tuesday afternoon after becoming separated from a relative following a visit to the playground in Merriam Close. The boy, who was non-verbal, partially deaf and undergoing tests for autism, was reported to have run off down an alleyway beside the playground towards a new-build housing estate and Decoy Pond.
Large-scale search operation
A large-scale missing person investigation was launched involving specialist police search teams, assisted by HM Coastguard, Suffolk Fire & Rescue Service, the National Police Air Service, the Metropolitan Police Dive Team and volunteers from SULSAR (Suffolk Lowland Search and Rescue). Further support came from the East of England Ambulance Service – including Suffolk HART – and the Environment Agency. Around 1,300 members of the public also assisted with the search.
On Wednesday, officers from the Metropolitan Police Dive Team recovered the body of a child from Decoy Pond in Brantham. On Thursday afternoon, Suffolk Constabulary confirmed the child had been formally identified as Noah Woods.
Fundraiser and family tribute
Noah's death is not being treated as suspicious, but police still have a number of enquiries to complete before submitting a file for the Coroner. The fundraiser, launched by Good Dads Club, states: "In light of the news regarding three-year-old Noah Woods, Good Dads Club is calling on our community to give whatever they can to ease the overwhelming burden on his family during this heartbreaking time. While no amount of money can undo these life altering events, every single financial contribution will go directly toward helping Noah’s family’s expenses, navigate daily bills, and take the necessary time off work to grieve without the added strain of financial worry. Please consider donating today, no contribution is too small and share this campaign so we can surround Noah’s loved ones with the solidarity they desperately need."
Superintendent Tom Pearse said: "I want to once again extend our thoughts and deepest sympathy to Noah’s family and thank them for their patience and understanding throughout the searches." He added that the media coverage showed the family had "all of Suffolk behind them, but an outpouring of goodwill from across the entire country and beyond."
Pearse also thanked all those who provided help and support over "an intense 24-hour period of the search," including officers, staff, emergency services colleagues and volunteers from SULSAR. He praised the local community and people who travelled from further afield, noting that help was provided in many ways, from searching the village to coordinating volunteers, providing facilities, food and drink, or directing traffic.
Father's tribute
Writing on Facebook on Thursday, Noah's father, Rhys Woods, said: "As I’m sure you have all seen, the body that was found in Decoy Pond is our little Noah. There are no words to describe the pain of this loss, we are all absolutely heartbroken, Noah was the sweetest and most innocent little boy, with nothing but love to give, and we are going to miss him so very much."
He added: "It seems he has made an impact across the whole nation, you have all taken Noah into you’re own hearts, with all the overwhelming help, we were all just trying to bring him home to us safe and sound."
Noah's father thanked volunteers and authorities who "came together" to search for Noah, saying: "The compassion shown by all of you will never be forgotten by us, and brought us comfort and strength at the darkest time of our lives. This was the most heartbreaking outcome for us, we were just hoping that he would be hiding somewhere obvious where someone could find him, that’s what we kept telling ourselves the whole time."
