A woman discovered Noah Donohoe's mobile phone discarded in a grassy verge before the missing schoolboy was found deceased in a storm drain, a coroner's court has been told during the ongoing inquest into the teenager's tragic death.
The Discovery of the Mobile Device
Adelaide Armstrong provided testimony to Belfast Coroner's Court, explaining that she was walking through Castleton Park on June 22, 2020, when she noticed a black mobile phone lying in a grassy area near the park railings. The witness described how she initially checked the device and found it was switched off, prompting her to take it home with the intention of charging it and attempting to identify the owner.
'I checked and the phone was off, and I took it home to charge and see if I could contact the owner,' Ms Armstrong told the court proceedings.
Attempts to Contact Family and Authorities
Upon successfully charging the mobile device, Ms Armstrong turned it on and immediately noticed a message from police requesting that Noah contact them. She also observed multiple missed calls from a contact saved as 'Mum' within the phone's call log.
'I think I actually tried ringing that number first, and was just ringing out. And then I saw another number, and I tried to ring that, that was the police,' the witness recounted during her evidence.
Ms Armstrong added that she remembered the phone's screen was damaged and suggested it might have been thrown into the park area, given its proximity to the perimeter railings where she discovered it.
Background of the Disappearance
Noah Donohoe, a 14-year-old described as loving music and reading, vanished on June 21, 2020, after leaving his family home in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on his bicycle to meet with friends. The teenager was last observed naked while walking toward Northwood Road in the northern part of the city at approximately 6pm that evening.
His body was subsequently discovered six days later in a storm drain approximately 600 metres downstream, close to the M2 motorway infrastructure.
Police Response and Family Interactions
A Police Service of Northern Ireland officer provided evidence about attending Noah's family home on the evening of the disappearance. The officer, who served as a constable at the time, explained that he became aware of the missing person investigation on June 21, 2020.
Reading from his official statement, the officer told the court: 'It was also noted that this type of behaviour was completely out of character for the missing person and he would usually be home, long before 10pm. He had no access to cash or access to a vehicle, apart from his bicycle.'
The officer further testified that Noah's mother, Fiona Donohoe, informed him that her son had been particularly emotional earlier on the day he disappeared. The constable documented taking a photograph during his visit and later returned to provide updates to the concerned family.
Ongoing Inquest Proceedings
The judicial inquiry into the teenager's death has now entered its third week of hearings at Belfast Coroner's Court, with Noah's mother Fiona Donohoe attending every day of the proceedings. Recent testimony has included accounts from residents living near Northwood Road, which is proximate to both the storm drain and the location where the teenager was last sighted.
One witness described visiting a relative in the area on the evening Noah disappeared and noticing a black bicycle resting on its side on the footpath as he departed. The following day after finishing work, the same individual observed a black helmet on the street and alerted authorities after viewing social media posts about the missing schoolboy.
Previous weeks of the inquest have heard evidence from Noah's friends and additional witnesses who observed the 14-year-old cycling through Belfast. One witness recounted seeing Noah cycling without clothing on Northwood Road prior to his disappearance, while another testified about discovering his bicycle outside their residential property.
The coroner's investigation continues as authorities work to establish the full circumstances surrounding this tragic case that has deeply affected the Belfast community.
