CLEVELAND COUNTY, N.C. — A 65-year-old Cleveland County man survived one night in frigid temperatures after he vanished from his home Tuesday night.
Allan Fowler, 65 is recovering in the hospital, and he may lose two toes due to frostbite.
His wife, Kay Fowler, is thankful after her husband was found alive in a wooded area behind a neighbor’s home across the street.
Kaye Fowler said her husband came so close to dying in the woods within earshot of his home on Kim Drive near Grover.
Allan Fowler, who suffers from seizures and dementia, decided to take a walk. His wife called 911 when he didn’t return.
"I'm so bad -- my eyesight,” she said. “I knew I couldn't find him."
Search crews believe Allan Fowler wandered around the trailer park, which may have confused K-9 units because they found multiple, overlapping trails.
"He nearly froze to death,” Kay Fowler said. “It was in the 20s."
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Allan Fowler fell between two trash bins in a small patch of trees behind his neighbors' home, searchers said.
He was stuck there unconscious while searchers combed the area, racing against the clock.
"They said he wouldn't have made it through another night,” Kay Fowler said. "No one knew he was that close to all of us."
Searchers found him in the afternoon trapped and unaware of the danger he faced.
"My heart just melted -- melted," Kay Fowler said.