Dad of Noah Woods, 3, shares heartbreaking statement after son’s body was discovered
The father of Noah Woods has spoken out after a child was discovered dead yesterday after going missing on Tuesday (15 September), confirming in a Facebook post that the little boy is his son.
The three-year-old toddler disappeared from sight in a playground near their home in Brantham, Suffolk, with police launching a major search operation across the subsequent 27 hours.
Hundreds joined the search to find Noah following his father's heartbreaking plea for him to be brought home safely, but it was confirmed yesterday that police had discovered a body in the nearby Decoy Pond.
Now Noah's father Rhys has spoken out for the first time since the heartbreaking discovery, writing that he hoped his son was simply hiding somewhere.
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Posting on Facebook, Rhys wrote: "As I’m sure you have all seen, the body that was found in Decoy pond is our little Noah.
"There are no words to describe the pain of this loss, we are all absolutely heartbroken, Noah was the sweetest and most innocent little boy, with nothing but love to give, and we are going to miss him so very much.
"It seems he has made an impact across the whole nation, you have all taken Noah into you’re own hearts, with all the overwhelming help, we were all just trying to bring him home to us safe and sound.
"A heartfelt thank you to everyone in our community (even far and wide) who came together to search for our boy, including: Suffolk, Norfolk, Met police forces, HM coastguard, Suffolk lowland, Fire service, Ambulance service, RTT catering, brantham leisure centre, Brantham village hall, local businesses, ST Michael’s church, private K-9 units, and so many more, and all of the people who gave up their time in their busy schedules to help us when we most needed it.
"The compassion shown by all of you will never be forgotten by us, and brought us comfort and strength at the darkest time of our lives.
"This was the most heartbreaking outcome for us, we were just hoping that he would be hiding somewhere obvious where someone could find him, that’s what we kept telling ourselves the whole time,
"With our love and deepest gratitude. From his daddy and mummy and little brother, Noah, you will be loved forever, you will never be forgotten and we miss you so so much, it has been a privilege to be your parents and be able to have packed so much love in the short three years you were with us."
Later today, Suffolk Police confirmed that formal identification had taken place and the body discovered was indeed Noah's.
Superintendent Tom Pearse said: “I want to once again extend our thoughts and deepest sympathy to Noah’s family and thank them for their patience and understanding throughout the searches.
“It was clear from the media coverage we saw that they not only had all of Suffolk behind them, but an outpouring of goodwill from across the entire country and beyond.
“I know how grateful Noah’s family are for all the support and kind messages they have received, but would reiterate our plea to now allow them the time, space and privacy they need at this deeply distressing time.
“I would like to express my thanks again to everyone that provided help and support over an intense 24-hour period of the search. This includes all of our officers and staff, along with the numerous emergency services colleagues and volunteers from SULSAR.
“Finally, I cannot pay tribute enough to the response from the local community and people who travelled from further afield to assist with the search for Noah.
“Help was provided in a number of ways – the vast majority were out searching the village and surrounding area, but there were also people coordinating the volunteers, along with those who ensured the facilities were available and open, while others provided food and drink or directed traffic.
“This was a case where the people of Suffolk rallied together and showed the county at its best in what transpired to be the most tragic of circumstances.”
Mourners have been invited to leave flowers and teddies at the Merriam Close play park, where Noah was last seen before going missing.
A fundraiser set up to support the family has already raised over £50,000 at the time of writing.
Topics: UK News
James Moorhouse