Crime25 September, 20262 min read
Noah Woods Left Play Area Through Gap In Fence, Inquest Hears In Suffolk
Noah Woods disappeared from a Brantham playground around 3pm on Sep 15. A body was found in Decoy Pond after a search by about 1,300 volunteers.
25 outlets told this the same way.
Inquest hears fence gap
Assistant coroner Jyoti Gill opened and adjourned the inquest in Ipswich, saying, "I would like to express my deepest condolences to Noah’s family and friends and all those affected by Noah’s death." Detective Chief Inspector Matthew Connick told the hearing that Noah Woods, of East Bergholt, Suffolk, was being "looked after by relatives and this was part of a normal routine for Noah" when he walked to an under-fives play area in Brantham. Connick said CCTV footage in the park showed Noah playing with his relative, with the first footage timed at 2.13pm and Noah last seen playing at 2.37pm.
“I would like to express my deepest condolences to Noah’s family and friends and all those affected by Noah’s death.”
Connick told the court that Noah "left through a gap in the fence leading to the memorial garden where he left through an open gate" and that he went in the direction of Decoy Pond while being closely followed by his relative. Connick said police divers recovered Noah’s body from the lake known locally as Decoy Pond on Wednesday, September 16, and he was found "approximately five metres from the bank and within submerged tree roots" at a depth estimated at 1.8 metres.
Search details and confirmation
Suffolk Police said they were not treating Noah’s death as suspicious, and the inquest heard that the death was confirmed at 4.31pm by paramedics. Connick told the hearing that Noah’s identity was formally confirmed by his mother Charlie Peck at Ipswich Hospital that evening. The inquest heard that at least 1,300 people helped to try to find Noah in the following 24 hours, with helicopters, dog units and members of the public scouring the area close to the River Stour on the Suffolk-Essex border.
Connick said the CCTV footage was motion-activated so it "doesn’t provide continuous footage," and he said the relative shouted after Noah but after 200 metres Noah could not be seen. The inquest also heard that a post-mortem examination at Addenbrooke’s Hospital mortuary in Cambridge recorded Noah’s medical cause of death as pending further investigation before a final conclusion could be made.
Family tribute and privacy
Noah’s family issued a tribute describing him as "a happy, cheeky, playful" boy who "loved to laugh, loved to giggle and who brought joy wherever he went." Noah’s father Rhys Woods said in a message shared on a community Facebook group that "There are no words to describe the pain of this loss, we are all absolutely heartbroken," and he said Noah was "the sweetest and most innocent little boy". Suffolk Police Superintendent Tom Pearse told volunteers in the Brantham Leisure Centre garden that "First of all, our thoughts are with Noah's family and with everyone who knew him," as the community reacted to the body being recovered.
La Vanguardia said authorities currently did not believe there were indications that this is a crime, and it reported that the police asked for respect for the family’s privacy. The inquest was adjourned to a date to be fixed in due course, and Assistant coroner Jyoti Gill said at the end of the six-minute hearing, "Once again, my deepest condolences."