The jury in the Noah Donohoe inquest has found it was possible, but not probable, that failings by the Department of Infrastructure (DfI) over the tunnel in which he was found dead contributed to his death. The jury also found that the DfI had failed to identify a hazard at the site and that there was no warning sign.

Numerous failings were identified in the Police Service of Northern Ireland's (PSNI's) investigation, but the jury concluded these did not contribute to the 14-year-old's death. Noah's mother, Fiona Donohoe, stated that her son had been failed by both the department and the police, with the family's solicitor describing the situation as "indignity after indignity."

The PSNI indicated they would not be able to comment until the inquest formally closes. Noah Donohoe went missing on Sunday, June 21, 2020, after leaving his south Belfast home on his bicycle, triggering an extensive search across the city. He was discovered six days later in a water tunnel in the north of the city, which leads into Belfast Lough. The cause of death was determined to be drowning.

Eyewitnesses who were the last to see him near the tunnel reported that he was naked. The incident generated widespread speculation about the circumstances of his death, and his family initiated a high-profile campaign. The inquest found no conclusive evidence regarding why Noah was without his possessions and clothing when last seen, nor was there evidence of any physical interaction with others during his journey.

The inquest commenced in January, over five years after the schoolboy's death, following numerous delays. The family had requested a jury, which was agreed upon as "desirable" by a coroner in 2022. The nine-member jury, comprising seven men and two women, deliberated for five days over two periods, delivering a unanimous verdict.

Among the questions answered by the jury were the time and location of Noah's death, the reason for his actions after leaving home, and whether the DfI's management of the tunnel or the PSNI's investigation contributed to his death. The jury found Noah died between 7 p.m. and midnight on June 21, 2020, in the lower reaches of a culvert. They concluded there was insufficient evidence to explain his behavior after leaving home. It was found possible, but not probable, that DfI errors in tunnel management contributed to his death, while it was not possible that PSNI errors contributed.

However, the jury did identify 13 failings related to both the PSNI and DfI that impacted the inquest's ability to reach conclusions on aspects relevant to Noah's death. The established time frame for Noah's death indicates he could have died before his mother reported him missing at approximately 9:45 p.m. on June 21, 2020, or within roughly two hours after. Initial police searches covered a wide area of Belfast based on limited information about Noah's intended journey from south to north.

In a statement read outside court, Fiona Donohoe expressed that her "clear answer" was that her son was failed by the department and police. She alleged that both had attempted to deflect blame onto Noah to cover their own shortcomings, and that the inquest had revealed "a culture of institutional defensiveness" within those public bodies. She further stated that "answers of 'I don't know' and 'I can't recall' permeated the evidence heard," adding that Noah "deserved better."

Her solicitor, Niall Murphy, emphasized that it should be a "basic minimum" for the department to "prevent access by children to deadly culverts" and for the PSNI to "do all in their power to find out what happened to him" when a child goes missing. He credited Fiona Donohoe's "tireless pursuit" of information for the jury's findings, remarking that without her efforts, "we would never have any answers at all."