A three-year-old boy found dead in a pond after going missing from a playground had left the play area “through a gap in the fence”, an inquest heard.
Noah Woods became separated from a relative after visiting the playground in Merriam Close, Brantham, on the afternoon of 15 September, Suffolk police said. CCTV footage showed Noah playing with his relative between 2.13pm and 2.37pm.
DCI Matthew Connick told the Ipswich hearing that Noah, who was non-verbal, partially deaf, and undergoing an assessment for autism, left through a gap in the fence leading to a memorial garden and then an open gate. He was reportedly followed by his relative in the direction of Decoy Pond.
Met police divers recovered Noah's body from Decoy Pond on the afternoon of 16 September. Suffolk police confirmed his death is not being treated as suspicious. A postmortem recorded his medical cause of death as pending further investigation.
The inquest into Noah’s death was opened and adjourned in Ipswich on Friday. Assistant coroner for Suffolk, Jyoti Gill, expressed condolences to Noah’s family and friends.