The Eerie Tale of Noah Donohoe, the Belfast Teenager Discovered Deceased in a Drainage System

During the summer of 2020, the disappearance of a young schoolboy, Noah Donohoe, caused alarm throughout Northern Ireland. After Noah vanished while cycling in Belfast, numerous volunteers arrived to aid in the search for him.

However, when his body was eventually discovered and his possessions were found in the possession of a career criminal, the community began to suspect that foul play was involved.

Noah Donohoe, a 14-year-old boy, resided with his mother, Fiona Donohoe, in Belfast, Northern Ireland. As Fiona's only child, the two shared a close bond, with Fiona even referring to him as her soulmate. Noah was an outstanding student, particularly in science and math, and aspired to study medicine.

In addition to his academic pursuits, he enjoyed playing the cello, playing basketball on his school's team, and teaching himself Japanese. Noah's aunt, Niamh Donohoe, described him as a beautiful soul.

On the day Noah Donohoe disappeared, there were no apparent signs of anything being amiss. However, the CCTV footage paints a different picture entirely.

Noah Donohoe's Strange Behavior Prior to His Disappearance

On June 21, 2020, Noah Donohoe left his home on his bicycle at 5:45 p.m. to meet up with friends at a nearby park. He had taken this route numerous times before and was carrying his backpack, which contained his laptop and several books.

CCTV footage captured him riding down Royal Avenue, a busy shopping district, just five minutes later. However, by the time he reached the end of the street, his backpack was missing, and no one saw how it was lost. The cameras did not capture what had happened to it.

At 6:00 p.m., a driver witnessed Donohoe falling off his bike at an intersection. The driver attempted to help him up, but he quickly rode off. CCTV footage then captured Donohoe riding his bike miles away from where he was supposed to meet his friends, and he was completely naked and without his helmet.

A witness reported seeing the young man riding naked in a neighborhood that was far from his intended route. Once again, the CCTV footage did not reveal how the boy lost his belongings.

At 6:03 p.m., the last known footage of Donohoe showed him dismounting his bike and walking naked down the side of a house towards the gated Seaview Park. This was the final sighting of the boy before he disappeared.

When Donohoe did not return home that night, his mother Fiona became worried. He had promised to call her at 6:30 p.m., and he was typically very punctual. At 9:30 p.m., she contacted the police to report him missing.

Authorities launched an immediate search for the boy, and search and rescue teams quickly located his bicycle in the area where he had last been seen on camera. Additionally, his cell phone was found near the route he had been riding. It was peculiar that his clothing was never found.

The exhaustive search continued for six days until Donohoe's lifeless body was found in a storm drain located half a mile from where he had left his bike. The police believe that he entered the drain at Seaview Park, which a maintenance worker had accidentally left unlocked. While the search had ended, the discovery of Donohoe's body only led to more questions about his unusual death.

The Mysteries Surrounding the Teenager's Death

Despite being in the drain system for several days, Donohoe's body displayed very little evidence of water damage. Although a medical examiner determined that he had died from drowning, Fiona and Niamh Donohoe remained uncertain about the cause of his death.

"The Donohoe family pointed out that the tunnels experienced tidal changes twice a day, which would have resulted in the boy being submerged. Despite this, his body only displayed water damage to his hands and feet. Additionally, the presence of sewage and bacteria in the tunnels should have caused significant damage, yet this was not the case. There were no signs of rodent or insect damage either," as stated by VICE.

Muir Clark, a superintendent of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, stated that there was no indication of foul play involved, according to The Guardian. The coroner concurred with this assessment. Clark believed that Noah had sustained a head injury after falling from his bike, which had caused him to become disoriented.

Adding to the mystery was the discovery of Noah Donohoe's laptop in the possession of a well-known local criminal named Daryl Paul, who had a history of theft and armed robbery convictions. Paul maintained that he had found Donohoe's backpack near Royal Avenue but was never formally implicated in the teenager's murder.

Nevertheless, doubts arose among the public regarding the official account of Donohoe's death. Speculation and rumors began to circulate, and various theories emerged throughout the community, including accusations of a police cover-up.

The Theories Surrounding the Enigmatic Death of Noah Donohoe

In the years following Donohoe's death, his mother and aunt have campaigned against the official version of events that led to the boy's disappearance. They have meticulously examined all of the information in the case file. The sisters are convinced that someone else was responsible for Donohoe's death and are unhappy with the way the police handled the investigation.

Fiona Donohoe has claimed that four witnesses heard screams near the location where her son was last seen. She alleged that she reported this information to the police, but they never pursued the lead.

Another rumor suggested that Donohoe was attacked with a heroin needle while cycling down Royal Avenue, which could have contributed to his strange behavior. Other theories proposed drug-induced psychosis, a misguided initiation ceremony, and even suicide as explanations for his death.

Fiona's request for an inquest into her son's death was approved in November 2022, as reported by the Fermanagh Herald. She hopes that the inquest will shed light on what really transpired on that tragic day.

References:

Noah Donohoe search: 'The community is needed to find this boy'

Noah Donohoe: Body found in search for missing teenager

Schoolboy Noah Donohoe died by drowning, postmortem shows