YOU NEED TO KNOW
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14-year-old North Carolina boy found alive after missing for more than two days
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On January 17th, the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office announced that Gideon Ferguson was found safe and was being evaluated by medical personnel
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Ferguson was reported missing from his home in Cleveland, NC, on January 14th
A 14-year-old North Carolina boy has been found alive after being missing for more than two days — but authorities say the investigation into his disappearance is not over.
On Saturday, January 17, the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office announced that Gideon Ferguson had been found safe and was being evaluated by medical personnel following an “around the clock” search involving hundreds of law enforcement officers, search and rescue personnel, as well as the FBI.
According to the FBI, Ferguson was reported missing from his home in Cleveland, NC, on Wednesday, January 14th.
His grandmother dropped him off at home after school around 3:30 pm local time, and his mother reported him missing about an hour later, the agency said.
Officials said during a press conference on Saturday, January 17, that the young man was found only a mile and a half from his home after days of searching.
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Although the investigation is still ongoing, officials said the teen appears to have left the house alone — although it is not yet known if another person is involved in this incident.
“During this investigation, we [found] there were indications in the house, not of forced entry, but a person who left a lot of things like a phone and other technology that you would assume people take with them if they leave,” said Sheriff Darren Campbell during the press conference.
“Throughout the course of the investigation, we found that Gideon left his phone there on purpose,” Campbell added, noting that Ferguson apparently tried to evade authorities from finding him by hiding in nearby wooded areas, which were out of law enforcement’s search radius.
He re-entered the search radius earlier Saturday, the sheriff said.
Campbell also said that the young man was still recovering after spending more than two days outside, as the temperatures dropped to around 15 degrees with the wind chill.
Campbell said the 14-year-old apparently “just wanted to be alone” Wednesday afternoon — but officers are still looking into why he was away from home for such an extended period of time.
“He just didn’t want to be found,” the sheriff said. “There were some issues that happened earlier that day… that didn’t include the family. This was another issue, and I think in the way he thinks, he just wanted to be alone at that point.”
In a statement shared on Facebook, the sheriff’s office said the investigation is ongoing, and Campbell said Saturday that anyone with information about Ferguson’s whereabouts during the two days he was missing should contact authorities.
“Our investigation does not end with his safe recovery. We will continue to help get answers to what kind of situation this boy encountered since he was discovered missing on January 14, 2026,” the sheriffs office concluded. “Right now, most importantly, it’s safe.”
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