Suffolk Police have confirmed that a body was found during the search for missing three-year-old Noah Woods.
The recovered body has not been formally identified. Noah’s family has been informed, police said.
Noah disappeared at about 15:00 BST on Tuesday from a playground in Brantham, Suffolk, after becoming separated from a relative. Suffolk Police Superintendent Tom Pearse said dive teams recovered the body of a child from a nearby pond.
Police said the child’s death was being treated as unexplained but not suspicious.
Large-scale search operation
At least 1,300 members of the public helped search for Noah, who was non-verbal and partially deaf. People from as far afield as Birmingham and Hampshire joined the search.
Helicopters, dog units and members of the public searched the area near the estuary of the River Stour on the Essex border. Volunteer efforts were coordinated from Brantham Leisure Centre and the village hall, which ran out of high-visibility vests because of the number of volunteers.
People searching for Noah were told that he would not respond to shouting. Searches widened on Wednesday to include East Bergholt and Manningtree over the Essex border.
Metropolitan Police divers were called to search Decoy Pond, a nearby fishing lake about 350 yards (320 metres) from the playground where Noah was last seen.
Suffolk Police said the operation was supported by Suffolk HART, SULSAR, the Environment Agency, HM Coastguard, the Fire and Rescue Service and the ambulance service.
One of the last people to see Noah described him as looking “happy and healthy”.
Mr Pearse asked people to give Noah’s family time, space and privacy.
Source: BBC News
