Noah Donohoe: Woman's distress at finding missing boy's bike
- Published
Noah had been missing for almost a week
A woman who found missing teenager Noah Donahoe's bicycle in her garden has spoken about her heartbreak when she realised it was his.
A body believed to be that of the missing Belfast teenager was found in a storm drain on Saturday, almost a week after the 14-year-old was last seen near the Shore Road in north Belfast.
Noah, from south Belfast, left his home on his bicycle on Sunday 21 June.
His disappearance led to widespread searches and an outpouring of grief.
Belfast Lord Mayor Frank McCoubrey has opened an online book of condolence in Noah's memory.
Mr McCoubrey said he hoped the outpouring of public support would bring some comfort to his family.
Karen Crooks told BBC News NI she found Noah's bicycle at her Northwood Road home in north Belfast on the Sunday evening at about 20:00 BST.
The storm drain where Noah's body was found lies behind her garden.
Ms Crooks thought the bicycle had been left behind by local boys.
'My heart sank when I realised it was his bike'
"I went out and lifted it off the ground because it was just lying at the back of my car. I didn't think any more of it. I thought the mummy will come up for it, the wee boy will come up for it. I went to work the next morning, it was still there.
"I came home and then started to look on social media and saw the missing boy. Something alerted me to make me read into it a wee bit more, and I saw it was on the Shore Road, and I saw the black Apollo mountain bike."
Ms Crooks said her heart sank and she rang the police.
"I stood in this garden on the mornings of last week and just went to myself 'Noah where are you? Noah where did you go?'
"Trying to rack my brain, as a child growing up here, where would I have gone? What would I have done? I just couldn't, I couldn't work it out, I couldn't put the pieces together."
Hundreds of people attended vigils for the teenager on Sunday evening
Ms Crooks said she was glad that she was able to bring the search teams to find Noah.
"They may never have found him, so I do take comfort in that," she said.
She also reached out to his family, telling them they were welcome to come to her garden, where Noah had been, at any time.
"I don't know if his mother, whether you would take comfort from being here, or you wouldn't take comfort from being here. But I just want his family and his mother to know that they can come here if they feel they need to come here. My door is opened and they can be here with their thoughts."
Meanwhile,, at Monday's Stormont meeting, the first and deputy first ministers Arlene Foster and Michelle O'Neill offered their sympathy to Noah's mother, Fiona, and the whole family circle.
"Noah was a talented and loving child and it's clear he was deeply loved," said Mrs Foster.
She said his family and friends had been robbed of "a young man who had a bright future ahead of him".
Mrs O'Neill said news of Noah's death had been "devastating".
The teenager's teammates paid tribute to Noah at Sunday's vigil
"We had all hoped and prayed for a very different outcome and our hearts are broken for Noah's mummy Fiona, for all his family and friends at St Malachy's and beyond."
Michael Calo, Noah's basketball coach said: "Noah was just such a nice young man, everybody loved him.
"He was a lovely kid, a good athlete, a good musician, quite good at the cello, and just a really lovely young person."
Mr Calo's twin sons, classmates of Noah's at St Malachy's College, played rugby and basketball and sang in the school choir with him.
"They are devastated, like most of the kids Noah would have grown up with," he said.
He coached Noah when he played for Belfast Phoenix Basketball team.
Noah Donohoe's mother, Fiona, said she shared a "special bond" with her son
A memorial basketball tournament in Noah's memory is now being discussed, Mr Calo said.
His family said: "He was very special. It is very hard to do justice or honour the extraordinary relationship Noah and his mummy shared."
Their statement added: "In his 14 years his mummy got so much from their special bond, he taught his mummy so much. They were each other's world."
People showed their appreciation for the search teams who looked for Noah
The family said details of Noah's funeral will follow.
Also on Sunday, hundreds of people, including members of Noah's family and many of the volunteers who took part in searches, attended vigils for the teenager.
Sean McCarry, from Community Search and Rescue, told the BBC on Monday he had never experienced anything like it before.
"It was one of the most moving and humbling experiences that I have had," he said.
Pastor Brian Madden said Sunday's vigil in north Belfast had allowed a grieving community to pay their respects
"We were welcomed to the services, as Noah's family was, exactly as we were welcomed in throughout the five or six days of the search, with open arms from everybody".
"It was obvious to see that everybody there was there united together, completely united right across the whole of north Belfast".
Fourteen blue balloons were released in memory of Noah
Pastor Brian Madden, who spoke at a vigil, urged Noah's teenage friends to "let their emotions out".
"Don't bottle it up, don't hold it in, talk to someone, and be real, let it out, someone will listen to you," he told the BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme.
A vigil was also held in Strabane, where the Donohoe family are originally from, on Sunday
Pastor Madden said the vigil had allowed a grieving community to come together and to pay their respects.
"Every single person that knew him spoke so very highly of this young man. It was incredible," he said.
Police said on Saturday that they did not believe there was any foul play involved in the death.
- Published28 June 2020
- Published27 June 2020