NC GIDEON FERGUSON: Missing from Cleveland, NC - 14 Jan 2026 - Age 14 *Found Alive*

https://www.qcnews.com/news/u-s/north-carolina/iredell-county/canine-units-drones-deployed-in-search-for-missing-14-year-old-iredell-county-boy/

Canine units, drones deployed in search for missing 14-year-old Iredell County boy​

The Iredell County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in locating a missing teenager.

Gideon Andrew Ferguson, 14, was reported missing on Wednesday afternoon. Deputies said Gideon was last seen around 4 p.m. at his home on Watermoss Drive, off of Triplett Road in the Amity Hill community

Law enforcement, including the FBI was actively searching the area. Deputies were being assisted by canine units and drones as the search continued into Thursday.

FBI joins search for missing Iredell County teen

The Iredell County Sheriff’s Office is looking for 14-year-old Gideon Andrew Ferguson.

www.wsoctv.com

FBI joins search for missing Iredell County teen​

The Iredell County Sheriff’s Office, with the help from the FBI, is searching for 14-year-old Gideon Andrew Ferguson, who was reported missing Wednesday.

Deputies are using K-9 units and drones to search for the boy who was last when his grandmother dropped off from school at his home at 4 p.m. on Watermoss Drive in Cleveland. His mom reported him missing one hour later.

“Come home, bud,” his mom, Kamie Neeo, said. “We will figure it out. Come home.”

“We love you more than we are mad at you,” said his father, Tylan Ferguson. “I promise you that.”

The teen’s cellphone and backpack were left at home.

“We’ve got phones and we can see activity on phones,” said Sheriff Darren Campbell. “We have gaming consoles, school computers different things at school with friends, so there’s a lot of digital evidence we have to go through, and we’re going through right now. Right now, it don’t seem like nothing has been accessed.”

First responders are concerned because of overnight cold temperatures.

The search was suspended Wednesday night but continued Thursday morning in eastern Iredell County, which is very rural with a lot of farmland.

More than 100 people were involved in the search Thursday.


MEDIA - GIDEON FERGUSON: Missing from Cleveland, NC - 14 Jan 2026 - Age 14

 

[Guess Who]

View attachment 28602View attachment 28601

https://www.qcnews.com/news/u-s/north-carolina/iredell-county/canine-units-drones-deployed-in-search-for-missing-14-year-old-iredell-county-boy/

Canine units, drones deployed in search for missing 14-year-old Iredell County boy​

The Iredell County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in locating a missing teenager.

Gideon Andrew Ferguson, 14, was reported missing on Wednesday afternoon. Deputies said Gideon was last seen around 4 p.m. at his home on Watermoss Drive, off of Triplett Road in the Amity Hill community

Law enforcement, including the FBI was actively searching the area. Deputies were being assisted by canine units and drones as the search continued into Thursday.

FBI joins search for missing Iredell County teen

The Iredell County Sheriff’s Office is looking for 14-year-old Gideon Andrew Ferguson.

www.wsoctv.com

FBI joins search for missing Iredell County teen​

The Iredell County Sheriff’s Office, with the help from the FBI, is searching for 14-year-old Gideon Andrew Ferguson, who was reported missing Wednesday.

Deputies are using K-9 units and drones to search for the boy who was last when his grandmother dropped off from school at his home at 4 p.m. on Watermoss Drive in Cleveland. His mom reported him missing one hour later.

“Come home, bud,” his mom, Kamie Neeo, said. “We will figure it out. Come home.”

“We love you more than we are mad at you,” said his father, Tylan Ferguson. “I promise you that.”

The teen’s cellphone and backpack were left at home.

“We’ve got phones and we can see activity on phones,” said Sheriff Darren Campbell. “We have gaming consoles, school computers different things at school with friends, so there’s a lot of digital evidence we have to go through, and we’re going through right now. Right now, it don’t seem like nothing has been accessed.”

First responders are concerned because of overnight cold temperatures.

The search was suspended Wednesday night but continued Thursday morning in eastern Iredell County, which is very rural with a lot of farmland.

More than 100 people were involved in the search Thursday.

So evidently he was in trouble for some reason by the way his dad worded his plea.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Could be. I don't know. What both parents said could mean anything. He may has run away before or if he did this time, they are just assuring him he won't be in trouble and they will figure out whatever it is that is wrong. Hard to say. Or they knew something was wrong at school or who knows.

i hate it when family only were the last to see a child. It doesn't mean they did anything of course and it can't be helped but one always has to wonder if the story they give is truth.

I'm sure LE has checked that he was in school. I'd like to know why grandma picked him up? No bus? Problems on the bus? Did she do it because the parents were working or something? When did they get home if so?

Apparently he did enter the house as his phone and backpack were there. What teen leaves without their phone unless they don't want to be tracked?

LE at least as these articles are written seems to be focusing on his electronics, gaming things and things that might have been going on at school...

I hope we don't have a teen who left with an adult predator here. Seems unlikely to me he is out in the rural farmland or wilderness there but I suppose they have to search it. Imo he'd head somewhere or was picked up unless of course he was suicidal, then he might be in the rural woods or farmland.

Praying he is found safe and if something is wrong either at home or school, etc., that he gets the help he needs.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

BOLO: FBI Joins Search for Missing 14-Year-Old North Carolina Boy

The FBI Charlotte announced Thursday that agents are working with the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina to help locate a missing 14-year-old boy. According to FOX 8, Gideon Ferguson was last seen Wednesday at his home in Gideon, off Watermoss Drive, at around 4 p.m., in the Amity...

www.crimeonline.com

BOLO: FBI Joins Search for Missing 14-Year-Old North Carolina Boy​

The FBI Charlotte announced Thursday that agents are working with the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina to help locate a missing 14-year-old boy.

According to FOX 8, Gideon Ferguson was last seen Wednesday at his home in Gideon, off Watermoss Drive, at around 4 p.m., in the Amity Hill community, near Triplett Road.

FBI joins search for missing Iredell County 14-year-old; Search continues into second day

“Come home, bud,” the teen's mom said.

statesville.com

FBI joins search for missing Iredell County 14-year-old; Search continues into second day​

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

 

[GrandmaBear]

I'm worried about this one. Well I do about all but this one they say it isn't like him yet he did leave and he did leave his phone... Well, assuming he really did leave home of course... No teen wants to be without their phone. Of course it is not unheard of that they keep another unknown to the parents.

I'm worried about self harm here. I'm also worried about whether the story is the truth.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

https://www.qcnews.com/news/u-s/north-carolina/iredell-county/search-for-missing-iredell-county-teen-enters-third-day/

Search for missing Iredell County teen enters third day​

The search for 14-year-old Gideon Ferguson entered its third day Friday as more than 100 investigators — including agents from the FBI — continue working around the clock to locate the missing teen.

According to the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office, Gideon was last seen around 4 p.m. Wednesday when his grandmother dropped him off at his home on Watermoss Drive in Cleveland. Sheriff Darren Campbell said his parents discovered he was missing a little over an hour after that. Campbell said the search area spans a large rural region, making the operation complex and slow-moving as crews work to cover every property thoroughly.

“It’s a large rural area, there’s lots of property. We want to make sure we’re doing that part of the investigation,” Campbell said.

The sheriff confirmed the FBI joined the effort Thursday as Gideon left his cell phone at home. Campbell said federal agents are helping analyze digital evidence that could provide leads about Gideon’s whereabouts or communication prior to his disappearance.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

FBI shares disappearance timeline for missing Iredell County teenager

Teenage boy last seen at his home near Amity Hill

www.wbtv.com

FBI shares disappearance timeline for missing Iredell County teenager​

The FBI said that Ferguson was last seen on Wednesday, around 3:30 p.m., being dropped off at his home on Watermoss Drive by his grandmother after school.

Officials said that his mother reported him missing an hour later.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

With that tight of a timeline and a teenager...I wonder if he left a note.
With the FBI involved so quickly, possibly was communicating with someone.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Is this the one I said earlier it seemed they may have been kind of centered on his devices? I think so.

Any agency can call the feds in or let them help and even lead I believe but it does seem there may be more to it even if they asked as to why they did and so quickly.

If it weren't for his backpack and phone, I'd wonder if he went into the house at all... It says there that the last sighting was his grandma dropping him off at 3:30...

I still wonder if the parents were home or possibly working that the grandmother picked him up, or for some other reason... Mom found him not there an hour later, could have just come home...

Reporting him missing too an hour later is really pretty quick. Could he not have taken a walk, etc. I mean but she was instantly worried... So yeah, maybe a note or maybe he took things we don't know about that told her he'd run away or something OR they had something with him they were already worried about...

I suspect the timeline may come from his phone's last use or some other device maybe... Or social media on such and so on...

There's definitely more to this that we don't know I think. What it is is the question...

 

[Guess Who]

With that tight of a timeline and a teenager...I wonder if he left a note.
With the FBI involved so quickly, possibly was communicating with someone.

yeah, something definitely set them off on the hunt very fast.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Missing 14-year-old found half mile from home following days-long search

The Iredell County Sheriff’s Office says 14-year-old Gideon Ferguson has been found just a half mile from his home after days of searching.

www.yahoo.com

Missing 14-year-old found half mile from home following days-long search​

The Iredell County Sheriff’s Office says 14-year-old Gideon Ferguson has been found just a half mile from his home after days of searching.

The Sheriff’s Office said Ferguson was found half a mile from his home on Triplett Road, alive. He is being transported to a hospital, officials said.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

I feel this boy leaving in some ways saved him. Would his parents have been arrested otherwise or found out??

I certainly wouldn't advocate running away and I'm glad he was found after not too long and safe but I do think in this case, it resulted in his parents being found out.

Huh? What arrest?

 

[GrandmaBear]

Huh? What arrest?

Am I mixing up the new cases? I think I did here.

 

[GrandmaBear]

I deleted it until I figure out which case I meant. I was thinking of the one where the mom and stepdad were arrested.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

During today’s press conference, the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office provided important details regarding the search for Gideon Ferguson and the circumstances surrounding his recovery.

Investigators stated there was no evidence of forced entry at Gideon’s residence and no indication he left against his will. Law enforcement also confirmed Gideon made attempts to hide or eliminate digital evidence prior to his disappearance.

Gideon was ultimately located approximately 1.5 miles from his residence, in an area that had previously been searched. The established search perimeter extended roughly 2.5 miles, leading investigators to believe Gideon may have exited the perimeter and later reentered sometime overnight. This aspect of the case remains under active investigation.

Once located, Gideon was transported to a local hospital for evaluation. Sheriff Darren Campbell emphasized that although Gideon has been safely recovered, this remains an active investigation, and no stone will be left unturned.

The Sheriff expressed deep gratitude to all assisting agencies, businesses, churches, volunteers, and personnel whose efforts helped bring this situation to a positive outcome. He also addressed questions regarding the absence of a nationwide Amber Alert, explaining that specific criteria must be met—such as evidence of abduction, forced entry, or suspect vehicle information—which were not present in this case. Additionally, Gideon’s electronic devices were left behind, his digital footprint showed attempts at erasure, and he changed clothes prior to disappearing.

Sheriff Campbell made it clear that the Sheriff’s Office took an aggressive and comprehensive approach, utilizing every available resource. The FBI’s assistance was accepted due to their ability to rapidly retrieve and analyze critical data when time was of the essence.

At this time, Gideon is beginning to answer questions, and investigators hope additional clarity will emerge in the coming days. The Sheriff reiterated that the investigation will continue, even though Gideon has been found.

Above all else, the most important outcome is that Gideon is safe and reunited with his loved ones. Thank you to everyone who shared information, offered support, and helped spread the word. Please continue to keep the family and all those involved in your thoughts and prayers.

 

[GrandmaBear]

During today’s press conference, the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office provided important details regarding the search for Gideon Ferguson and the circumstances surrounding his recovery.

Investigators stated there was no evidence of forced entry at Gideon’s residence and no indication he left against his will. Law enforcement also confirmed Gideon made attempts to hide or eliminate digital evidence prior to his disappearance.

Gideon was ultimately located approximately 1.5 miles from his residence, in an area that had previously been searched. The established search perimeter extended roughly 2.5 miles, leading investigators to believe Gideon may have exited the perimeter and later reentered sometime overnight. This aspect of the case remains under active investigation.

Once located, Gideon was transported to a local hospital for evaluation. Sheriff Darren Campbell emphasized that although Gideon has been safely recovered, this remains an active investigation, and no stone will be left unturned.

The Sheriff expressed deep gratitude to all assisting agencies, businesses, churches, volunteers, and personnel whose efforts helped bring this situation to a positive outcome. He also addressed questions regarding the absence of a nationwide Amber Alert, explaining that specific criteria must be met—such as evidence of abduction, forced entry, or suspect vehicle information—which were not present in this case. Additionally, Gideon’s electronic devices were left behind, his digital footprint showed attempts at erasure, and he changed clothes prior to disappearing.

Sheriff Campbell made it clear that the Sheriff’s Office took an aggressive and comprehensive approach, utilizing every available resource. The FBI’s assistance was accepted due to their ability to rapidly retrieve and analyze critical data when time was of the essence.

At this time, Gideon is beginning to answer questions, and investigators hope additional clarity will emerge in the coming days. The Sheriff reiterated that the investigation will continue, even though Gideon has been found.

Above all else, the most important outcome is that Gideon is safe and reunited with his loved ones. Thank you to everyone who shared information, offered support, and helped spread the word. Please continue to keep the family and all those involved in your thoughts and prayers.

Hmm.

Ecstatic he is safe.