Noah Donohoe Episode 1: The Search for Truth

So taking that, let's go back to where Noah was found.

So this storm drain is very familiar to many people.

It simply travels from North Belfast right to Belfast Lock.

It is a concrete tube or pipe that encloses little mountain water and stream that's coming down from the mountains around Belfast.

It travels initially at some elevation and then flattens out.

And it travels under the Shore Road, under the Crusader Stadium.

It travels under a railway line and kinks left to the Northern Ireland Railway Depot and then straight out a thousand meters on to Belfast Lock.

Now, you have to understand half of this is tidal.

And Noah was found in the tidal part.

And that means water comes in and water comes out from the tide, from Belfast's lock, twice a day.

And of course, there's always water coming down from the mountain stream throughout the day and throughout the night.

Simple, concrete enclosed, one meter diameter pipe for the most part.

And Noah was then found simply head down in a bit of silt.

When his body was recovered, it was brought back, the scene was closed around 12.30, quite quickly, and then it was brought to the Royal Infirmary in Belfast for a rather quick autopsy.

Now, would that be usual in these circumstances, Jason, for an autopsy to

be conducted that quickly? If somebody's been found deceased in unnatural or peculiar circumstances, then the sooner that a post-mortem or autopsy examination is undertaken, then the better the likelihood of recovering any relevant evidence.

In this case, we have to remember, Noah had been missing for six days.

There'd been much concern about him being missing.

Huge public outcry.

And so from his family's point of view, from his mum's point of view, everybody would want answers as soon as possible.

And the...

the fact that the autopsy was done at a very early stage is, I think, positive.

So, in between preparations for the autopsy, Fiona was informed by a family liaison officer of Noah's body, where it was found, how it was found, and she was going to be brought to identify the body.

On her way over, she was advised by the liaison officers and warned that the condition of the body could be rather damaged, horrific.

I think it's important to understand