NowWire · AI-assisted reporting summary · September 25, 2026 UTC
An inquest has opened into the death of three-year-Old Noah Woods, who was found dead in a pond in Brantham, Suffolk, following a major search operation involving about 1,300 members of the public. Det Ch Insp Matt Connick told Suffolk Coroner's Court that the toddler left a play area at Merriam Close on the afternoon of September 15 through a gap in the internal fencing leading to a memorial garden. [1] [2]
CCTV footage showed Noah playing with a relative before heading toward the garden and exiting through an open gate in the direction of Decoy Pond. The relative followed and called out to him, but the child quickly went out of sight. Metropolitan Police divers recovered his body the following afternoon from about five metres from the bank. [1] [2]
Assistant coroner Jyoti Gill opened and adjourned the inquest in Ipswich to a later date, noting that police are not treating the death as suspicious. A post-mortem examination conducted at Addenbrooke's Hospital recorded the medical cause of death as pending further investigation. [1] [2]
Sources
- Noah Woods, three, died after leaving playground through gap in fence, inquest told — 2026-09-25T10:49:44.000Z
- Noah Woods died after leaving park through gap in fence, inquest hears — 2026-09-25T09:33:50.272Z