Disappearance of Noah Woods

Noah Woods is a three-year-old British boy who disappeared in Brantham, Suffolk, England, on 15 September 2026. His disappearance prompted a large-scale search involving Suffolk Constabulary, specialist police officers, search-and-rescue teams, emergency services and members of the public.

On 16 September, Suffolk Police confirmed that specialist dive teams had recovered the body of a child from Decoy Pond in Brantham. Police stated that formal identification had not yet been confirmed, although Woods's family had been informed of the development.

Disappearance

Woods was last seen at approximately 3:00 p.m. on 15 September 2026 after visiting the playground on Merriam Close in Brantham with a relative. According to Suffolk Police, he became separated from the relative and was reported to have run down an alleyway beside the playground towards a nearby new-build housing estate.

Police described Woods as white, with curly ginger hair. At the time of his disappearance he was wearing a White T-shirt featuring the children's television character Bluey, shorts and black Vans trainers with a white stripe.

Suffolk Police stated that Woods is non-verbal, has partial hearing loss and was undergoing an assessment for autism. Police said that he would not respond to his name, which they said was relevant to the search operation.

Search

Emergency services began searching for Woods shortly after his disappearance. The operation involved specially trained police officers and dog units, as well as helicopters operated by the National Police Air Service and HM Coastguard. Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service and Suffolk Lowland Search and Rescue also assisted.

Members of the public joined the search in large numbers. Search efforts included the examination of gardens, sheds and outbuildings, while police also appealed for residents to check CCTV and doorbell-camera footage recorded from around the time of Woods's disappearance.

Police subsequently released CCTV footage showing Woods at the playground shortly before he disappeared. The footage was used as part of efforts to establish his last known movements.

The search area was expanded beyond Brantham, with search activity extending towards surrounding areas including East Bergholt and Manningtree. Police, coastguard and search-and-rescue personnel also searched areas around the River Stour and nearby bodies of water.

Police urged members of the public not to conduct independent searches in potentially dangerous areas and asked volunteers to coordinate their activities with the emergency services.

Recovery of a child's body

On the afternoon of 16 September, specialist police divers recovered the body of a child from Decoy Pond in Brantham during the search operation.

Superintendent Tom Pearse of Suffolk Police said that the force had been "overwhelmed" by the public response to the search and asked the public to give Woods's family privacy.

At the time of the announcement, police stated that the formal identification of the child had not yet been confirmed. Woods's family had nevertheless been informed of the discovery.

Public response

The disappearance resulted in a substantial community search effort, with more than 1,000 people reportedly joining the operation. Volunteers travelled from outside Suffolk to assist, while local businesses and community organisations provided support to those involved in the search.

Woods's father, Rhys Woods, publicly thanked members of the community and emergency services for their assistance during the search.

See also

• List of people who disappeared
• Missing person