IREDELL COUNTY, N.C. — An Iredell County teenager, who was missing for more than 50 hours, is now back home safe.
Authorities announced Gideon Ferguson was found just over a mile from his home Saturday morning.
News that Ferguson was found has come as a huge relief to residents in the Amity Hill area. Many signs were put up asking for residents to pray for the teen.
Saturday afternoon the Iredell County Sheriff held a news conference to discuss the case, which has been going on for the past couple of days.
A resident off of Triplett Road found Ferguson on his property, brought him inside to let him warm up, and called deputies. It only took them about a minute to respond.
Sheriff Darren Campbell says this started as a runaway, that the teen did not want to be found, but they question whether he could have survived outside in these cold conditions without.
“We are happy to report he was found safe, and he’s being thoroughly evaluated by medical personnel,” said Sheriff Campbell. “We had this ongoing search for the last 56 hours since the day he was missing. I feel confident that he was not inside this area, but came back to the area and was located.”
Authorities searched a 2.5 mile radius from the teen’s home and say they believe he left the area. The question is how. That’s under investigation, and they want to make sure that he was not influence by an adult.
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