16/09/2026
Please can everyone share… totally heartbreaking!!!
Police have warned that a 3-year-old boy who has gone missing, 'won't respond to his name' after he vanished from a playground.
More than 100 people have reportedly joined the search for Noah, with a massive search operation using a helicopter and conducting door-to-door enquries used to locate the toddler.
The three-year-old, called Noah, was last seen at 3pm on Tuesday, when he became separated from a relative after visiting the playground in Merriam Close, Brantham, near Manningtree.
Noah is believed to have run off down the alleyway beside the playground towards the new build housing estate, the police said.
The force confirmed the three-year-old is autistic, non-verbal and has partial hearing loss.
They said there have been no sightings of Noah.
He is described as white, with curly ginger hair, wearing a Bluey t-shirt, shorts, and white trainers at the time.
Police earlier asked local residents to thoroughly check their gardens, sheds and outbuildings or any potential areas where a child might hide.
Anyone with private CCTV or doorbell cameras in the village, or who were driving through the area with a dashcam, are asked to review the footage from 3pm yesterday afternoon onwards for any possible sightings of Noah.
Superintendent Pete Partridge said in a statement: “We are very concerned for Noah’s welfare and need to find him as a matter of urgency.
“A vast number of resources have been deployed by ourselves, our emergency services colleagues and volunteers from SULSAR. These resources have been bolstered by members of the public who have turned out in large numbers to assist and we are incredibly grateful for their help and support.
“Given that fast-moving nature of the investigation, it is important that any public searches are coordinated with police to ensure we are working together, and that our resources are directed where they can be most effective.”
