Dad of partially deaf three-year-old who vanished from playground makes heartbreaking plea
At about 3pm on Tuesday (15 September), three-year-old Noah Woods went missing when he became separated from a relative after visiting a playground in Brantham, Suffolk.
Hundreds of volunteers have since joined the search for the partially deaf boy and his dad, Rhys Woods, has issued a plea to keep it going.
It's reported he ran off down an alleyway beside the playgrounds towards a new-build housing estate.
Noah is described as being white with curly ginger hair, is also non-verbal and currently undergoing an assessment for autism. Suffolk Police say because of these vulnerabilities, he will not respond to his name.
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He was wearing a white Bluey T-shirt, shorts and black Vans trainers with a white stripe at the time.
And the little boy's dad, has taken to a local Facebook group, sharing that the 'emergency services are very confident that the high risk areas (Decoy pond, railway lines) are all clear'.
He suggested that knowing their son 'he has gone further'.
Father's Plea
Rhys wrote on Facebook: "Thank every single one of you who have taken part in the search for our boy Noah.
"To clear things up because people really do make up their own stories, he is only mildly autistic and has partial hearing loss, he is fully capable of every day tasks.
"We still have nothing, all the emergency services and all of you have shown how strong this community is, with people coming from far and wide also.
"The emergency services are very confident that the high risk areas (Decoy pond, railway lines) are all clear.
"This means knowing our boy, he has gone even further, could I ask that all of you brilliant people out there today expand further if you are able to? Reference where I have outlined, and maybe even further than this,
"I cannot go another night knowing he’s out there alone, please don’t give up on him guys. He is out there somewhere and I appreciate every single one of you."
Suffolk Police statement
The police search includes specially trained officers and dog units and they have been assisted by helicopters from the National Police Air Service and HM Coastguard, with further support on the ground provided by HM Coastguard, Suffolk Fire & Rescue Service, Suffolk Lowland Search & Rescue as well as members of the public.
Police have asked local residents to thoroughly check their gardens, sheds and outbuildings, or any potential areas where a child might hide.
Similarly, those in the village with private CCTV, dashcams or doorbell cameras are asked to review footage from 3pm onwards yesterday for any possible sightings of the toddler.
In the early hours of Wednesday morning, Supt Pete Partirdge released the following statement: "We are very concerned for Noah's welfare and need to find him as a matter of urgency.
"A vast number of resources have been deployed by ourselves, our emergency services colleagues and volunteers from SULSAR (Suffolk Lowland Search and Rescue). These resources have been bolstered by members of the public who have turned out in large numbers to assist and we are incredibly grateful for their help and support.
"Given that fast-moving nature of the investigation, it is important that any public searches are coordinated with police to ensure we are working together, and that our resources are directed where they can be most effective.
"We therefore ask that people do not put themselves at risk or undertake independent searches overnight.
"We will continue to keep Noah's family and the public updated on the progress of our searches and investigation.
"We know that people want to help and so we are urging local residents to carefully read our requests to check their gardens and outbuildings and review any CCTV or dashcam footage as a priority.
"Anyone who believes they have seen Noah is asked to contact us immediately."
Topics: UK News
Jess Battison