Police have warned anyone looking for missing boy Noah Woods to not approach him and instead call 999 immediately. The police and crime commissioner for Suffolk said he could be ‘curled up’ somewhere
Authorities have warned volunteers not to approach missing youngster Noah Woods if they locate him, with police saying he could be “curled up in an outbuilding” somewhere.
Tim Passmore, the police and crime commissioner for Suffolk, said a specialist dive team will join the effort. Police have been helped by hundreds of volunteers since Tuesday, while the public has been told to search sheds where a child could hide. Passmore said Noah may have curled up in an outbuilding.
People looking for Noah have been warned that he is likely to be “frightened” and have been asked not to grab or approach him if they locate him. Instead, call police on 999 immediately and give their exact location using the What3Words app.
Police are also carrying out further house-to-house inquiries along with additional foot, aerial and thermal searches. Suffolk Police said: “Since Noah was reported as missing, officers have carried out multiple inquiries, including the deployment of specialist search officers and dog units.
“Search efforts have been assisted by helicopters from the National Police Air Service and HM Coastguard. Additional assistance on the ground has been provided by HM Coastguard, Suffolk Fire & Rescue Service, Suffolk Lowland Search & Rescue, with a significant number of members of the public.”
It comes as CCTV images of missing non-verbal boy Noah Woods were released by police, showing the three-year-old in the park moments before vanishing.
Suffolk Police have released the video to aid in their search for the little boy who was last seen at 3pm on Tuesday when he became separated from a relative after visiting the playground in Merriam Close, Brantham, near Manningtree.
Sniffer dogs have now been brought in to help in the search for Noah and a lake known as Decoy Pond has been cordoned off. Police issued an update saying there is “nothing to indicate anything sinister or any element of criminality”, but they are keeping an open mind.
The video shows Noah playing with a kids’ roundabout in the park, going up to it several times to push it.
His dad issued a plea to the public and to “clear some things up” just before the lake was cordoned off during the search.
Noah’s dad Rhys Woods posted to a local Facebook group: “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.”
He added: “I cannot go another night knowing he’s out there alone, please don’t give up on him guys.”
A footpath beside the playground in Merriam Close is also not accessible to the public. It is thought that Noah ran off down this alleyway towards a nearby new-build housing estate.
The surrounding area is also near the River Stour and a railway. Police have said Noah is autistic, non-verbal and suffers from partial hearing loss.
On Facebook, Mr Woods sought to “clear things up” about his son, stating that he is “only mildly autistic” and “fully capable of every day tasks”.
Noah is described as being white with curly ginger hair. The police reported that he was last seen wearing a white T-shirt featuring the TV character Bluey, shorts, and black Vans trainers with a white stripe.
Residents with private CCTV or doorbell cameras in the village, or those who were driving through the area with a dashcam, are being asked to review their footage from 3pm Tuesday afternoon onwards for any potential sightings of Noah.
Anyone who believes they may have spotted Noah is urged to get in touch with Suffolk Police, quoting CAD 203 of September 15.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.