JACKSON, Tenn. — Two-year-old Noah Chamberlin was laid to rest Wednesday, almost a week after his body was found in the woods in Pinson, Tennessee.
Noah had been missing for a week after his grandmother say he ran from her in the woods.
“That was my boy,” Destiny Chamberlin said at the funeral.
It was hard for Noah’s parents to hold it together at the service.
“I don’t understand why it had to be my baby, and I don’t understand why this was Jesus’ plan for Noah,” Destiny Chamberlin said.
Noah’s mother called him a little ball of fire with a big personality.
“He always showed us how to do things his way,” Destiny Chamberlin explained.
Hundreds of law enforcement and volunteers searched more than 1,000 acres for Noah night and day.
“As the days went by, it got harder,” Susan Aleman said.
The little boy weighed heavy on the hearts of those who helped search for him.
“When they come back in you seen hurt and you seen people broken because they couldn’t (find him),” Aleman explained.
Noah was found by law enforcement 1.5 miles away from his grandmother’s house one week after he vanished.
“My heart went to the grandmother who lost her grandchild and has to feel it, such severe pain,” Debbie Bowers told WREG.
“It wasn’t the the outcome we wanted, but we felt like we brought some closure,” Cheif Eric Turner, with the Madison County Fire Department said.
Firefighters and police were hurting just as much as family.
“We’re human too,” Turner said. “You know we deal with tragedy everyday, but we’re still human.”
Noah’s mother and father were thankful that in spite of tragedy, he brought a community together.
“People came out and braved the harsh weather conditions, and the cold temperatures, and the rough terrain to find a precious child that was not their own,” Destiny Chamberlin said.
“We felt really connected with you guys especially now, and we love you all,” Jacob Chamberlin said.
Family members told supporters their little boy is now in heaven looking down on everyone and hoping his memory will live on.
“Jesus used my baby to reach people across the world,” Destiny Chamberlin said.
A preliminary autopsy showed there was likely no foul play involved in Noah’s death and he likely died from hypothermia.