Franklin County boy rescued after getting lost in the woods
LOUISBURG, N.C. (WTVD) -- A Franklin County boy is back at home with his family after spending hours lost in the woods.
Nine-year-old Brandon Ledoux wandered off Wednesday night at about 6:30 p.m. in the area of Schloss Road near Louisburg.
After a long night with some severe storms, rescue crews found Brandon cold and wet, but otherwise okay.
Brandon wandered off into the woods when his dog went missing, right around the time thunder and lightning rolled into the area.
"We saw some black clouds come in and we had storms and rain and he was stuck out in it," said Brandon's mom, Jennifer Ledoux.
Jennifer began fearing for the worst when the family dog returned home without her son.
"I was thinking bad thoughts the whole time," Jennifer said. "I was like 'Oh my god, snake bite...drowning.' I didn't know what to think."
Four fire departments, two rescue squads, and several emergency managers searched for Brandon for six hours in the middle of the night.
When they finally found him, he was curled up in a thorny patch.
"I saw a light when it got dark and I followed the light and there's a bunch of briar patches there," Jennifer said, describing the scene where she found her missing son.
His arms and legs are covered in cuts and scratches, but Jennifer says she couldn't be happier, or more grateful, to have him home.
"All the fire departments that came out and helped with my son, thank you so much for finding him alive and well," Jennifer said.
ABC11 reached out to rescue crews who said they were just doing their jobs.
