Footballers and fans honour Noah Woods after toddler's death in Suffolk
English clubs Everton and Ipswich Town paid tribute on Saturday to three-year-old Noah Woods, whose body was found this week after he went missing in Suffolk. Police say the death is not being treated as suspicious, though inquiries continue.
Everton and Ipswich Town players wore black armbands during their Premier League match on Saturday in tribute to three-year-old Noah Woods, whose body was recovered this week following his disappearance in Suffolk. Before kick-off in Liverpool, a photo of the boy appeared on the stadium's big screen, and three minutes into the match both sets of supporters rose to applaud in his memory.
Noah, who was non-verbal, partially deaf and being assessed for autism, went missing from a relative's supervision on Tuesday afternoon after a visit to a playground in Brantham. Suffolk police said around 1,300 members of the public took part in the search, which ended on Wednesday when police divers found a body in a nearby lake.
On Thursday, Noah's father, Rhys Woods, shared a message on a community Facebook group expressing the family's grief, describing his son as a loving, innocent child who would be deeply missed.
A delegation from Ipswich Town, including captain Dara O'Shea and goalkeeper Christian Walton, laid flowers at the playground where Noah disappeared. Club defender Leif Davis donated £2,000 to a fundraiser for Noah's family organised by Good Dads Club, a group of fathers from Colchester, Essex. By Saturday evening, the appeal had raised more than £100,000 from over 6,000 donors.
Suffolk police said the death is not being treated as suspicious, but that several inquiries remain before the case file is submitted to the coroner.
