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Over 100 Volunteers Join Suffolk Search for Missing Noah

By Drooid · Sep 16, 2026, 6:29 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Suffolk Police launched a large-scale search for missing three-year-old Noah in Brantham.
Noah disappeared at about 3 pm on Tuesday, 15 September, after leaving Merriam Close playground.
He is a white, curly-ginger-haired autistic, non-verbal boy with partial hearing loss, wearing a white Bluey T-shirt and trainers.
Over 100 volunteers, a Coastguard helicopter, and residents checking gardens joined the search while trains ran slower.

History

Historical Context

The disappearance of 3-year-old Madeleine McCann on 3 May 2007 from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz triggered a massive search, with Portuguese police and later the UK’s Operation Grange deploying dozens of officers and volunteers. Operation Grange began in May 2011 with a team of 29 detectives and eight civilians, and a 2010 Gamble report criticised fragmented British involvement, prompting reviews of rapid-response protocols.

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Story summary

Suffolk Police launched a large-scale search for missing three-year-old Noah in Brantham.
Noah disappeared at about 3 pm on Tuesday, 15 September, after leaving Merriam Close playground.
He is a white, curly-ginger-haired autistic, non-verbal boy with partial hearing loss, wearing a white Bluey T-shirt and trainers.
Over 100 volunteers, a Coastguard helicopter, and residents checking gardens joined the search while trains ran slower.

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