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An inquest jury selection process has begun in preparation for examining the circumstances surrounding the death of Noah Donohoe, a 14-year-old boy from Belfast. Noah’s body was recovered from a storm drain in north Belfast on 27 June 2020, nearly a week after he was first reported missing. A post-mortem concluded that drowning was the cause of death, though his family’s legal team has expressed that there remain many unanswered questions about how he died, which they hope the inquest will clarify.
The coroner for the case, Mr Justice Rooney, has issued a caution regarding speculative posts on social media, warning that such comments could have significant repercussions. The inquest was initially scheduled to begin on 3 November, with a jury overseeing the proceedings. The legal process continues as those responsible for jury selection work to finalize attendees.
Noah was a student at St Malachy’s College, living near Fitzroy Avenue off Ormeau Road in south Belfast. On 21 June 2020, he was seen cycling through the city centre toward the Shore Road area in north Belfast. According to his family, he intended to meet friends at Cave Hill. He never returned home that evening. Following an extensive search operation, his body was found about 600 meters from a culvert entrance near Northwood Road in north Belfast. While the pathologist couldn’t specify an exact time of death, nothing indicated that Noah died at a time inconsistent with him passing away in the hours following his last confirmed sighting around 7:00 pm on 21 June.
CCTV footage showed Noah leaving his house on his bicycle at 17:41, taking a route along Ormeau Road to the city centre and then Royal Avenue by 17:50. Around 17:59, eyewitnesses and cameras recorded him falling from his bike. During his journey, he appeared to discard items including his rucksack and mobile phone. His route continued along York Road, turning into Skegoniell Avenue, followed by Northwood Crescent and Northwood Road. At some point, he was seen cycling without clothes. His mother reported him missing at 21:44 that same day. The next night, a resident near Northwood Road contacted police to report finding a bicycle matching Noah’s. Noah’s body was ultimately discovered in a storm drain on 27 June.
Additional CCTV, released as part of a police appeal in October 2025, showed Noah leaving his home early one morning at 03:34, wearing flip-flops, a t-shirt, and shorts, while carrying headphones. The footage also captured him returning barefoot and without headphones around 04:08. Despite the post-mortem confirming drowning as the cause of death, Noah’s family has indicated that many questions remain unanswered. Jury selection continues, and if not completed on Monday, it will resume the following day. Noah’s mother, Fiona Donohoe, has publicly spoken out and addressed protests in Belfast demanding answers about her son’s tragic passing
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