Body Of Noah Thomas Found In Septic Tank — Was It Foul Play?

The search for missing 5-year-old Noah Terry Thomas has come to a tragic end with the discovery of the child’s body. The Roanoke Times reports that his body was found inside of a septic tank on his parents’ property on Thursday afternoon. It’s also being reported that the documents regarding this case have all been sealed, so information regarding the heartbreaking discovery is limited. What is known is that there have been no arrests, and police are not clear on whether or not they suspect foul play.

In fact, The Roanoke Times has noted that investigators initially believed that Noah wandered off on his own, but they have not ruled out the possibility that the child was kidnapped. KSN News shares that the discovery came not long after a reward was announced in the amount of over $5,000.

Authorities in Pulaski County, Virginia have asked the public to not judge the family of the deceased child, declaring that they are “living in a nightmare.” Sheriff Jim Davis told reporters that the grief expressed by the mother and father of the child is obvious. The sheriff, however, did not directly answer the question regarding whether or not any evidence existed to confirm that the family was home with the child the day he was reported missing. He simply acknowledged that the parents are grieving this tremendous loss.

Noah Thomas had been missing since Sunday morning after his mother lost track of him while taking a nap. Noah had been left to watch television by himself while his mother slept in another room with her younger child. When she woke up, she realized he was not watching television like he was supposed to be doing. That’s when she reported him missing, leading investigators and volunteers to comb through the area for nearly a week before his body was found.

Authorities had already searched the area where he was found once before, but apparently he wasn’t found until a second, more thorough search was conducted. It’s not clear if cadaver dogs were used or not in the initial property search for the then-missing child.

This is indeed a tragic ending that nobody wanted for the 5-year-old Virginia boy. However, it’s not known at this time just how tragic of a demise he suffered. If he was the victim of foul play, an autopsy will get to the bottom of it. Likewise, if his death was the result of a horrible accident. What needs to be asked is how he ended up inside of a septic tank.

[Photo: Family of Noah Thomas via HNGN]