melinda@southwesttimes.com
The fifth day of a massive search for 5-year-old Noah Thomas ended tragically today when the boy’s body was found in a septic tank near his home, according to Pulaski County Sheriff Jim Davis. He stressed the cause of death has not been determined and no one is in custody.
“We are very, very saddened to announce that we have recovered the body of Noah Thomas shortly after 1 p .m. today,” Davis said during an evening press conference. “His body was found in a septic tank during a more detailed and aggressive search.”
The body has been taken to the medical examiner’s office in Roanoke for an autopsy.
Davis said the investigation is ongoing.
Following the brief press conference, Davis hugged and consoled a man and woman, who later identified themselves as Jason Thomas and Katherine Ide, Noah’s aunt and uncle.
“He didn’t deserve this. No 5-year-old deserves to die for no reason!” Ide said, overwhelmed by tears. “He was the most amazing kid ever.”
“He was stolen from us,” Thomas added.
They thanked the community for coming out to help and for kind words expressed to them over social media. But for those who have been critical of Noah’s parents, Ashley White and Paul Thomas, they asked that the negative comments stop.
“Some people need to consider Paul and Ashley’s feelings. They’re completely devastated. We all are,” Ide said. She added it’s the one time in her life she’s glad her brother doesn’t use social media, because some “people have been so cruel, and that’s completely unfair.”
“If you knew Paul, Ashley and Noah, you would know that they were as tight as they could be,” she said.
Jason Thomas said police will let everyone know what happened when the investigation is completed.
“I just want people to stop saying negative stuff … because his parents are great parents and they’re devastated,” he said. “Keep them in your prayers.”
Thomas said Noah being found dead was his brother’s worst nightmare and now it has come true.
“They were thick as thieves,” Ide said of Noah’s and Paul’s relationship.
Thomas added, “His (Noah’s) nickname was chunk. I just hope he’s up in heaven with our mom, looking over us.”
He said the last time he got to see Noah was in January, and added, “I just wish I could see him and hug him again. I want to know what happened and I want to know he didn’t suffer. I hope not.”
Both Ide and Thomas found out about Noah’s death just minutes after his body was found.
“It’s so hard to even think about. I just know he was scared,” Thomas said.
Ide added, “He just wanted Paul and Ashley.”
Both said they would give their own lives if it would bring Noah back.
They said it “means the world to them” that members of the community rallied in the search for Noah.
“I don’t think we could ask for a better community, really. The community pulled together for a kid that they didn’t even know, and that’s amazing,” Ide said.
Asked what they would remember most about Noah, Ide said, “Everyone who remembers Noah is going to remember that little laugh and that little smile.”
“He was a good kid and I hope everybody knows it,” Thomas added.
In a Facebook post this afternoon, Pulaski County Schools Superintendent Dr. Tom Brewster said, “We are deeply saddened by the news today that one of our own, Noah Thomas, has been found deceased. On behalf of the Pulaski County School Board and our school community, we would like to express our sincere condolences to all those affected by his loss.”
He added that the school system appreciates the “outpouring of love and support for Noah, and thank everyone involved with the search efforts.”
Brewster said counselors will be available at Riverlawn Elementary School Friday for faculty, staff and students who believe they need assistance dealing with Noah’s death.
Dublin Fire Department issued a statement on Facebook asking that the community “keep all law enforcement, fire, EMS personnel in your prayers for the hard work that they have put into trying to locate” Noah.
Noah was reported missing around 11:30 a.m. Sunday when White called 911 to say she couldn’t find him.
Authorities said she told them she had taken Noah and his infant sibling with her to drop off her husband, Paul Thomas, at work in Dublin and returned home around 7 a.m. She said she laid down for a nap, but when she awakened, the door to the residence was standing “slightly” ajar and Noah was nowhere to be found.
Over the days, there was some confusion over the timeline, with authorities saying the mother last saw him at 9 a.m. one day, then changing that to 7 a.m., and finally 10:30 a.m. Davis attributed the confusion in the timeline to the hectic nature of the investigation.
Davis said officers were on the scene “almost immediately” upon receiving the call from White. When a cursory search was unable to locate him, a “massive” ground and air search was initiated and continued until the boy’s body was found this afternoon.
Billy Chrimes, a deputy search-and-rescue coordinator with the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, estimated Wednesday that 50 agencies and more than 1,000 personnel had been involved in the case at some point.
Davis said this morning that more than 20 officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and a number of the state police’s “finest” were helping. “We’re working around the clock to secure Noah,” he said.
The sheriff said nothing had been ruled out in the case. He pointed out authorities had been working a “two-pronged” investigation since “Day 1” – the possibility Noah wandered off and the possibility he had been abducted.
While authorities found video surveillance showing Noah with his family at a store Saturday night, he said the only confirmation they had on Sunday’s events was the family’s timeline.
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