Police in Northern Ireland believe a teenage boy missing in Belfast since Sunday is still alive and somewhere close to the area where he was last seen.
They have not ruled out the possibility that Noah Donohoe may have been abducted or is being held against his will, but stress that is just one of a number of lines of inquiry.
In a media briefing this afternoon, PSNI Superintendent Muir Clark said it was still very much a missing person inquiry and thanked the public for their help over recent days.
Hundreds of people have joined the searches for the teenager, who has not been seen since shortly after 6pm on Sunday.
Police believe the 14-year-old fell off his bike and sustained a head injury that may have left him disorientated and confused.
A short time after the fall he took off his clothes and cycled around the Shore Road area of north Belfast before abandoning his bike and walking off on foot.
Police said they had found his bike, clothes and phone, but there is still no sign of his green backpack, green coat or laptop.
The search has crossed Belfast's traditional sectarian fault line, with a young Catholic boy missing in a staunchly Protestant and unionist area of the city.
Volunteers have come from all over the city, and as far afield as the Co Antrim town of Ballymena, nearly 45km away.
Police in Northern Ireland have not ruled out the possibility that 14-year-old Noah Donohoe, who is missing since last Sunday, may have been abducted or is being held against his will, but say it is just one of a number of lines of inquiry | More: https://t.co/UvuwWmsup3 pic.twitter.com/guzANVqPLu
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) June 25, 2020
Noah's mother, Fiona, has thanked all of those who have helped.
But the sheer volume of numbers is in itself causing a problem and creating confusion, with people covering the same ground repeatedly and entering areas already searched by police and specialist teams.
A social media message issued last night on behalf of the Search and Rescue Authorities in conjunction with Noah's family thanked all of those who have helped.
It added: "We would now appeal to the public to give authorities 48hrs to operate alone as high numbers are hindering the search."
That appeal was echoed by police this afternoon.
"I appreciate that everyone wants to help, but I now need the public to give both the police and our Community Search and Rescue colleagues some space to ensure that we have covered every possible area," said Superintendent Clark.
The appeals have been heeded, with streets that were packed with hundreds of volunteers yesterday, virtually deserted today.
Specialist search teams were deployed throughout north Belfast today, supported by a police helicopter.
Asked if the police have ruled out the possibility that Noah may have been abducted, the officer leading the search said all possibilities are being considered.
"We have a number of hypotheses which we will continue to look at," Supt Clark replied.
"The first hypothesis, and the one that we are majoring on at the moment, is that Noah has in some way suffered an injury, and is disorientated and requires assistance.
"We don't discount any other scenario, you know. We should look at other scenarios and we will continue to do that until we find Noah."
The police are also still trying to establish why the teenager cycled from his home in south Belfast to the north of the city, where they have not established any personal connections.
They have urged people to search their gardens, sheds, garages and outbuildings.
They have also been asked to check cars and caravans that may have been left unlocked in recent days.
Police say the next 48 hours are critical.
