Camper, cat help lost boy get through cold night in Wendell

BEEN MISSING FOR 24 HOURS.

GOOD EVENING AND THANKS FOR

JOINING US. I'M GERALD OWENS

AND I'M DEBRA MORGAN. THIS MAP

SHOWS ALL OF THE LOCATIONS

CONNECTED TO THE SEARCH

STARTING AT THE BUS STOP WHERE

HE WAS LAST SEEN HERE.

>> AND THEN WHERE HE WAS FOUND

SAFE AS WELL AS STOP CITY MADE

AT THE HARDEE'S AND EXXON

WRAL'S. CHELSEA DONOVAN WALKS

US THROUGH THE DAY'S EVENTS.

>> I'M FROM THE AIR SKY 5

EXCLUSIVELY CAPTURING A MOMENT

OF PURE RELIEF. A LONG EMBRACE

BETWEEN A FATHER AND HIS SON

WERE IN A RED LIGHT.

9 YEAR-OLD BENTLEY STANSELL

WALKS OUT OF THE WOODS

SURROUNDED BY THOSE DESPERATE

TO FIND HIM. IT'S LIKE A FIRST

SONG BORN AGAIN. LIGHT IS.

>> HE SEE ME. HE SHOT UP AND

CAME RIGHT FOR ME. THAT'S

THAT'S THE BEST FEELING IN THE

WORLD. A FEELING OF PURE JOY.

AFTER HOURS OF AGONIZING

WONDERING HOW BENTLEY WAS GOING

TO GET THROUGH A WET COLD NIGHT

ALONE.

>> IT ALL STARTED YESTERDAY

MORNING WHEN BENTLEY WAS

SUPPOSED TO HOP ON THE SCHOOL

BUS HERE. BUT DIDN'T DITCHING

HIS BOOK BAG AND RUNNING INTO

THE WOODS. HE WAS LATER SPOTTED

AT A NEARBY HARDY'S AN EXXON

STATION AN EXTENSIVE SEARCH

FROM THE AIR, THE GROUND WITH

DOGS, DRONES AND DOZENS OF

VOLUNTEERS STARTED AROUND

10:00AM AFTER DARK. AN AMBER

ALERT WAS ISSUED. FBI JOINED

THE SEARCH EFFORTS. IT WAS OUR

HOPE, MY PRAYER LAST NIGHT

THAT.

>> THE WEATHER BEEN DAMPENED.

WHAT WOULD REALLY LOVE TO

COLLEGE? IT WAS CLOSELY BUT

HARM WILL COME HOME. BUT

>> THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN BY

DAYLIGHT. THE SEARCH FOR

BENTLEY RESUMED THEN JUST

BEFORE NOON, A HEARTWARMING

IMAGE. THE BEST OUTCOME.

EVERYONE IN THIS COMMUNITY

HOPED FOR. HE'S NOT HURT ANY

WAY. AND THAT'S A BLESSING IN

ITSELF THAT LEE TOOK SHELTER

FROM THE COLD HERE IN AN

UNLOCKED CAMPER OFF MARSHBURN

ROAD NOT FAR FROM HIS HOME,

HAD POWER. SO HE STAYED WARM,

EVEN COOKING HIMSELF A MEAL AND

SOME SOME GUY. AND HE PUT IN

THE MICROWAVE AND FINDING

COMFORT ON A COLD NIGHT WITH A

NEW FRIEND. HE FOUND A CAT THAT

HE FELL IN LOVE WITH THAT WE

MIGHT END UP TAKING HOME WHILE

HE'S HOME AND SAFE.

INVESTIGATORS WILL CONTINUE TO

PRESS FOR ANSWERS AS TO WHAT

PROMPTED THIS AS THEY SAY THAT

LEE HAS RUN AWAY BEFORE.

THERE COULD BE MULTIPLE REASON.

9 YEAR-OLD.

>> THAT'S WHAT WE'RE STILL

TRYING TO MAKE A GO OF IT AND

GET IT CHECKED OUT BY EMS.

>> WE SPOKE WITH THE OWNERS OF

THE CAMPER. THEY SAY NO ONE

WAS AT HOME LAST NIGHT WHEN THE

BOY WENT INSIDE AND THAT THE

CAMPERS USUALLY LOCKED IN IS

ONLY USED FOR TRAVEL. THE

FAMILY THAT OWNS THE PROPERTY

IS SHOCKED ABOUT THE NEWS.

THE BOY BEING INSIDE THAT

CAMPER, AT LEAST CANCEL'S

MOTHER SAYS HE IS A GUY IS

DOING WELL. HE HAD A BIG MEAL

AND IS NOW GETTING SOME SLEEP

TONIGHT. BENTLEY STANSELL

SISTERS SAY IT FELT LIKE

EVERYONE IN WENDELL WAS OUT

SEARCHING FOR HIM. THIS IS

VIDEO OF THE MOMENTS THEY WERE

REUNITED WITH HIM. THEY

SPRINTED OVER AND GAVE HIM A

BIG HUG. THEY SAY THEY WERE SO

SCARED FOR THEIR BROTHER AFTER

FINDING OUT HE WAS WITHOUT A

CODE AND EXPOSED TO LAST

NIGHT'S COLD AND DAMP WEATHER.

I WAS JUST THINKING THE WORST.

YOU KNOW, I DIDN'T KNOW WAS

COLD AND RAINY AND

>> I JUST WANT TO FIND HIM.

SO I'M REALLY GLAD THAT HE'S

SAFE.

>> THEY SAY THEY WILL BE

SPENDING SOME EXTRA TIME WITH

THEIR BROTHER. NOW.

>> ANOTHER HEARTWARMING MOMENT

TODAY, BENTLEY WITH HIS

NEWFOUND COMPANION, HIS MOTHER

TELLS US THIS ORANGE TABBY CAT

STAYED BY HIS SIDE THROUGHOUT

THE NIGHT WHILE HE WAS IN THAT

CAMP ARE ALL THOSE STORIES WERE

DESPERATELY SEARCHING FOR HIM.

WRAL'S BRIAN SHRADER TAKES US

TO THE DAY'S EVENTS AS WE SAW

THEM UNFOLD FROM SKY 5 DURING

OUR NOON NEWSCAST.

>> ABOUT A QUARTER TO NOON.

WE GOT HERE IN SKY 5 TO BRING

YOU LIVE COVERAGE OF THE SEARCH

DURING OUR NOON NEWSCAST WAS ON

THE HIGHWAY PATROL HELICOPTER.

THE AIR STATE TROOPERS

SEARCHING THE GROUND AND MANY

CIVILIANS WALKING THROUGH THE

FIELDS AND WOODS HERE TRYING

TO FIND BENTLEY. WELL, JUST

BEFORE NOON NEWSCAST, OUR SKY

5 PILOT, ROBBIE KILLED SPOTTED

A WHITE TRUCK RACING DOWN THE

ROAD. WE'RE TALKING TO KEITH

BAKER FOLLOWED THAT TRUCK TO

A HOUSE AND WE SPOTTED BENTLEY

BE REUNITED WITH HIS FAMILY

REUNION. WE WERE ABLE TO BRING

TO YOU LIVE ONLY ON WRAL NEWS.

WE ALL BREATHE A SIGH RELIEF

AS YOU DID THERE AT HOME.

IT WAS A GOOD DAY UP HERE.