Inquest hears Noah Woods left play area through fence gap

An inquest into the death of 3-year-old Noah Woods heard that he left a play area in Brantham, Suffolk, through a gap in a fence before walking toward Decoy Pond, where his body was found the next day. The medical cause of death remains undetermined, and the inquest has been adjourned without a date set for its full hearing. Detective Chief Inspector Matthew Connick told the opening hearing in Ipswich that CCTV showed Noah playing with a relative at an under-5s play area on September 15. The detective said the footage showed Noah leaving through a gap in the fence into a memorial garden, then going through an open gate in the direction of the pond. His relative followed and tried to keep up, Connick said. The relative shouted after Noah, who went out of sight after about 200 metres. The CCTV was motion-activated and did not provide continuous coverage, Connick told the court. The first footage was recorded at 2:13 p.m. and the last sighting in the play area was at 2:37 p.m. The relative was not named at the hearing. Police were called and a search began. Around 1,300 members of the public joined the effort to find Noah, according to evidence reported at the inquest.