Inquest hears toddler left Suffolk playground through fence gap before drowning
An inquest into the death of three-year-old Noah Woods has heard that he left a Suffolk play area through a gap in fencing before entering a memorial garden and running towards a nearby pond. Police said his death was not being treated as suspicious, while the cause of death remains under investigation.
Three-year-old Noah Woods left a play area through a gap in a fence before reaching a nearby pond, an inquest into his death in Suffolk has heard. Assistant coroner Jyoti Gill described the death as very sad and tragic as she opened and adjourned the hearing in Ipswich. Noah went missing in Brantham on 15 September, prompting a large search.
His body was found in nearby water the following day by police divers. Detective Chief Inspector Matt Connick of Suffolk Police told the court that CCTV showed Noah in the playground being supervised by a relative during what was described as a normal routine. The child then left through a gap in the fence leading to a memorial garden, which he exited through an open gate.
He ran along a path on a new housing estate towards Decoy Pond. The relative followed closely and called out to him, but Noah went out of sight. Another man joined the search before police were contacted.
The court heard that volunteers searching for Noah were told he was non-verbal and partially deaf. At least 1,300 people took part in the search during the following 24 hours, alongside helicopters and dog units. Police divers found Noah five metres from the edge of Decoy Pond, within submerged tree roots and at a depth of 1.8 metres.
Paramedics confirmed his death at 16:31 BST on 16 September, and his mother formally identified him at Ipswich Hospital later that evening. Brantham Parish Council said the internal fencing break was in an area being constructed to separate the play area from the memorial garden. It said the wider site was enclosed by perimeter fencing and that it would cooperate with the investigation.
Police are not treating the death as suspicious, while a post-mortem examination requires further investigation before a final cause of death can be established.
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