News Story

The 14-year-old set out to meet friends in north Belfast on the evening of Sunday June 21 2020 and was later found dead in a storm drain.

This is the sequence of events which saw school boy Noah Donohoe leave his home in south Belfast to meet with friends at the height of the coronavirus lockdown in 2020 and never return, sparking a huge public search effort.

Six days later his naked body was found in a storm drain in the north of the city.

3.34am: Noah is seen on CCTV leaving his home on Fitzroy Avenue off the Ormeau Road in south Belfast, turning towards the direction of Queen’s University before returning at 4.08am, barefoot and without his headphones. This footage was first made public in October 2025 as part of an inquest appeal for information.

5.40pm: After a day at home, Noah sets out by bike, wearing a cycling helmet and a backpack, to meet friends in the Cavehill area in the north of the city.

5.41pm: Noah’s friend sends him a message via Instagram telling him the planned trip had been cancelled. He is not thought to have received it as he did not have internet access on his phone outside his home wi-fi.

5.42pm: Noah is captured on CCTV passing Daryl Paul outside Queen’s Quarter housing building.

5.57pm: Noah is seen cycling along North Queen Street.

5.59pm: Noah is seen falling from his bike at bottom of North Queen Street.

6.01pm: Noah is seen cycling past the Grove Wellbeing Centre.

6.02pm-6.05pm: A number of sightings of Noah are reported on Northwood Crescent and Northwood Road, and CCTV footage from a property shows him cycling naked on his bike. The last sighting was of Noah going between two homes towards waste ground where the storm drain was located.

6.50pm: A picture of a hand is taken on Noah’s phone. His phone is later found by a member of the public who hands it into the police.

9.44pm: Noah’s mother Fiona reports him missing to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). The police response is described as starting during the phone call which ended at 10.10pm with Noah assessed as being of “medium risk”.

Search efforts involving police continue overnight with the police air support unit focused on the Cavehill area, and the Community Rescue Service (CRS) are mobilised.

Wednesday June 24 2020

Police hold a press conference making an appeal for information to help find Noah, highlighting he had potentially suffered a head injury following the witness report that he had fallen from his bike.

As public interest grew in the case huge crowds turned out to try and help with the search for Noah across areas of north Belfast. Police hail a breakthrough after a member of the public handed in Noah’s backpack and his laptop computer.

Meanwhile the PSNI Hazardous Awareness Search (HES) team start searching the storm drain using camera equipment. They report their work being hampered by a “hostile” crowd which had gathered at Linear Park.

Thursday June 25 2020

The PSNI’s Search and Rescue team divers take over exploring the storm drain tunnels amid continuing search efforts.

Saturday June 27 2020

9.45am: Police find Noah’s body in the storm drain underneath a Translink depot, more than 600 metres downstream from where he had last been seen in the area of a culvert inlet behind houses at Northwood Road.

Wednesday July 1 2020

The Antrim Road is lined with mourners for Noah’s funeral, with searchers honoured for their work. During the service at St Patrick’s Church, Fiona described her son as “a beautiful soul with a beautiful mind” who had “poured a whole lifetime of love into my life in 14 short years”.

Coroner Joe McCrisken appeals for an end to speculation on social media around Noah’s death at the opening preliminary hearing ahead of an inquest.

Fiona meets First Minister Michelle O’Neill who backs her call for information.

Fiona releases video on Twitter announcing dedicated My Noah social media accounts to share memories and appeal for answers around his death.

Belfast City Hall is lit up blue to raise awareness of Fiona’s campaign.

Coroner McCrisken tells the second preliminary hearing there is currently “no evidence” to suggest that any other person was involved in Noah’s death.

Fiona expresses concern at the PSNI seeking a court certificate called a Public Interest Immunity (PII) over four police files ahead of the inquest and called for “full transparency”, and a rally is held in north Belfast on what would have been Noah’s 16th birthday. Police responded saying the they were bidding to stop relevant information being disclosed to Noah’s inquest “couldn’t be further from the truth”.

Fiona hands a petition signed by more than 280,000 people calling for transparency to PSNI assistant chief constable Bobby Singleton at police headquarters in east Belfast. He tells Fiona police will “do everything we can to make sure you get justice”.

A rally takes place at Belfast City Hall against PII with some supporters, dubbed “Noah’s Army” wearing blue-and-white striped GAA-style jerseys with the number 14 on the back, Noah’s age when he died, calling for transparency.

Concern is expressed at a proposal to redact some information in police files to be handed to the Coroner’s Service ahead of the inquest. Responding police said the proposed redaction relates to unique reference numbers and methodology, and they have provided additional descriptive information to explain what the redactions relate to.

Belfast City Council agree to name a bridge in Noah’s memory.

Northern Ireland’s presiding coroner Mr Justice Michael Humphreys upholds police application to withhold sensitive material, saying disclosing the information would create a real risk to the public interest.

Coroner McCrisken rules that the inquest should be held with a jury.

Coroner McCrisken recuses himself from Noah’s inquest. Mr Justice Rooney is appointed to oversee the inquest.

Footage released by the Coroner’s Service showing Noah leaving his home at 3.34am the night before he disappeared in an appeal for information.