Noah Woods, three, slipped through a gap in a playground fence before drowning in a Suffolk pond, inquest hears

From the Newshound archive · first published 25 September 2026 · last updated 26 September 2026.

Noah Woods, aged three, left an under-fives play area in Brantham, Suffolk, by slipping through a gap in the fence at 2.37pm on 15 September. He ran through a memorial garden and along a path towards Decoy Pond, where a relative gave chase and called out to him but lost visual contact within 200 metres. His body was retrieved by Met Police divers five metres from the bank, caught in tree roots 1.8 metres below the surface. His death is not being treated as suspicious, and no date has yet been set for a full inquest.

Noah, who was non-verbal, partially deaf and being assessed for autism, was on a routine visit to the playground with relatives when he vanished.

Over 1,300 volunteers joined police, coastguard and air services in searching for him before divers recovered his body the following day.

His family say they want Noah remembered as 'the happy, cheeky, playful three-year-old boy who loved to laugh' — a fundraiser for them has raised £113,000.