Premier League fans and players honour Noah Woods

A tribute to three-year-old Noah Woods was displayed on the big screen before the Everton vs Ipswich Town Premier League match, with players honoring him by wearing black armbands. The toddler went missing after becoming separated from a relative at a playground in Merriam Close, Brantham, according to Suffolk Police. About 1,300 members of the public participated in a search effort for Noah, who was described as non-verbal, partially deaf, and undergoing an assessment for autism.

Police divers recovered Noah's body from a lake, locally known as Decoy Pond, on Wednesday, and Suffolk Police confirmed his death was not suspicious. During the match, which Everton won 1-0, both sets of supporters stood to applaud in memory of the young boy. Town defender Leif Davis contributed £2,000 to a fundraising appeal for Noah's family, and captain Dara O Shea and goalkeeper Christian Walton presented flowers at the playground where Noah went missing.

Noah's father Rhys Woods expressed their heartbreak in a message shared on a community Facebook group, stating, "There are no words to describe the pain of this loss... we are going to miss him so very much." Suffolk Police confirmed on Thursday that the recovered body was identified as Noah's, pending confirmation in an inquest.

The police force continues to investigate the case before filing a report for the coroner. Meanwhile, a fundraising page initiated by Good Dads Club, a community of fathers based in nearby Colchester, had amassed over £100,000 in donations from more than 6,000 supporters by Saturday evening.