Overview
- A three-year-old boy, Noah Woods, became separated from a relative after visiting the Merriam Close playground and is believed to have run down an alleyway on Tuesday.
- A large multi-agency search followed, deploying specially trained police officers, dog units, NPAS and coastguard helicopters, dive teams, fire and rescue crews and hundreds of volunteers coordinated from local hubs.
- Search teams recovered the body of a child from Decoy Pond; the family have been informed, formal identification was pending in initial reports and police say there is nothing currently to suggest criminality.
- Noah is non-verbal, has partial hearing loss and is undergoing an autism assessment, factors that shaped search advice and led police to warn volunteers not to call his name and to report any sightings to officers.
- The village has mobilised large-scale volunteer efforts and fundraising for the family, and authorities have asked for privacy while they continue enquiries and review CCTV, doorbell and dashcam footage.